Ascendants
by whiteleopard1124
Summary: The 100 are set to be to sent to Earth ,but Jaha believes that they aren't ready for the challenges that they may face on the ground. He decides to use the invention of the First Chancellor that gifts them amazing and powerful abilities The 100 aren't weak anymore and see what new challenges they will face now and how they will face them now that they can fight back. Superpowers AU
1. Emergence

**Prologue: Ascendance****I do not own anything related to The 100. I really got into reading some 100 fanfics and decided to have a crack at it.**

**It's an AU so please don't complain since things are going to be different since that's the point of this I guess.**

**I hope**** you enjoy.**

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One day before Unification Day

Darah Sydney was working in the laboratory of Alpha Station. Her own station which she had commissioned all those years ago after hearing how that cow Becca had planned to do the same thing.

She never saw eye to eye with the richest person in the history of Earth. They had always competed in everything since they have known each other since childhood.

'Those were the simpler days,'though Darah as she recalled how her Becca competed in everything. Sports. Boys. Girl Scouts. Academics. Hell, they took the same courses at University.

However, it was then where the difference between them became more apparent. Becca excelled in the field of IT to a degree that Darah was not quite able to match while Darah excelled in the field of biology.

This led them to both eventually specialising in these and creating their own companies in their respective fields. Unfortunately for Darah though, Becca became world famous thanks to the massive improvements she'd made in the field of artificial intelligence.

Becca revolutionised the way in which the world saw AI. She was able to create intuitive AIs of a calibre the world hadn't even dreamt about. She quickly became the richest person to have ever lived and it was probably then that Becca Pramheda had truly beaten Darah Sydney once and for all.

It was not long perhaps a year or so after they had both launched their private stations to join the other 11 stations orbiting the Earth (something Becca had beaten her to yet again) that the Apocalypse had happened.

There was no clear indication of what had set it off, but within a matter of hours the Earth had been decimated by a nuclear war. The mushroom clouds and explosions formed by the warheads had been visible from all space stations.

Any attempt to radio in to the ground were unsuccessful and it was still haunting for Darah to think about how she had witnessed the near extinction of humans from the safety of Alpha Station.

However, it had inspired her to carry on and improve her life's work. Darah had continued to study biology specifically in the field of genetics.

Darah had made enormous breakthroughs in the field of genetic engineering and editing. She was able to create a method to identify and edit out unfavorable genes in a foetus long before she left the Earth.

Unfortunately, these discoveries had made her both famous and infamous throughout the Earth. It was to be expected after all. The service she was providing to the world was frowned upon by various religious groups and people.

They did not see that she wanted to improve the lives of people and unlock the full potential of humans. They only saw her as someone who was playing God. It led to her experiments with the American military being publicly exposed by a whistleblower within the military.

It had ruined her reputation and it had caused her to hit a slump for a few weeks, but she had bounced back and secretly continued the work the American military had contracted her for.

The USA thought that their soldiers needed an edge over the rest of the world. One would think that having some of the best weaponry ever made would be enough, but it never was.

Their designs along with the rest of the -entire world- had been leaked by a group of supposed "vigilante-hackers". The group had said that the world deserved to know how their governments spent their tax money on various weapons instead of focusing on welfare and combatting poverty or whatever problems their countries were facing.

It had sent the world into turmoil as various countries who had previously claimed to be pro-peace were revealed to have spent millions on nuclear warheads, submarines and virtually everything else one could think of.

The heads of state had at first negatively reacted to this being brought into light however. The group of hackers had all been captured and swiftly eliminated unknown to the public. This did not solve the unrest and protests around the world however and amid calls for peace and cries for war every single country on Earth had signed a disarmament agreement.

The treaty was signed in Hiroshima one of two locations to have experienced the horror of nuclear warfare nearly a century ago. The signing of the Hiroshima treaty was met with public approval however when Darah had been approached by Alycia Taylor –president of the USA– she found out the truth.

The USA– despite the Hiroshima treaty– were not disarming and they had decided on a different approach to bolster their forces.

Project Ascendance.

It probably should have disgusted Darah, but she saw it as a way to make new bounds within genetic with next to no limit on her budget thanks to the project being on the payroll of the world's richest nation.

After a few long months spent on the project in Annapolis and many, many failures . She'd managed to make a breakthrough. The first of her Ascendants was finally created. The nanobots she created were infused into a solution of various chemicals that would forcibly adapt the body to accept the nanobots which were able to completely alter the body they were in.

Subject #450 was shown to have superhuman strength, speed and reflexes. His aim was near impeccable with everything. They had finally created the perfect soldier.

Subject #450 was capable of lifting masses in excess of 3000 kg. He was able to run at speeds exceeding 60 km/h and could even dodge bullets.

Alas, it wasn't meant to be. The government had been exposed yet again, but this time from within by a scientist who'd grown disgusted by the experiments he had witnessed.

Darah, after successfully creating an army of the likes the world had never even thought possible, had been exposed and was promptly fired by the government.

Her crowning achievement that was meant to protect the citizens of the USA was rejected by those very citizens. The USA had been forced to pay a multitude of reparations to all of the other nations that signed the Hiroshima treaty and it had never fully recovered until it's demise during the Apocalypse.

Darah–once she managed to launch her space station– continued her work as she was unable to let go of what had happened. She'd begun to recreate Project Ascendance in the safety of Alpha Station–her private research station.

However, she hadn't set out to achieve what she had on Earth. She wished to make the human body into actual weapons.

She hadn't shared this with the majority of the other researchers that were on board instead she had forged ahead on her own and she had created something which was beyond that of Project Ascendance. Nanobots that were able to self-replicate and gift humans with powers the American military could only dream of.

Darwin-bots or D-bots for short. They did not require the special formula to adapt bodies and could be ingested and were made a part of the genetic structure of the recipient.

She had already gifted these to only a few of those that she trusted. The results had however been somewhat disappointing. There was a chance that some would fail to manifest any powers at all and others would often fail.

For example, James Noah had gained the ability to control liquids however one day he'd been found in his cabin and it looked like someone had drained his body of all liquids.

Luckily, she had managed to cover it up and she'd managed to put his body into an escape pod that she launched to Earth. The Atlantic Ocean to be specific. His death had been ruled a suicide and few were aware of what had actually happened.

The other issue with this early version of her D-bots was that the powers that manifested within those who took them were random. There was no discernible cause for this, but it was an unacceptable flaw.

She'd spent time further improving the results and although she couldn't control the final output she was able to make it such that the D-bots would cause a pale imitation of the results of Project Ascendance to appear if the D-bots weren't rejected by the immune system of the subject.

The results were nowhere near as astonishing as Ascendance, but still people were able to perform superhuman feats.

In a few months, she had made well over a 1000 of these, but she kept these under severe protection in locations only known to her.

Darah herself had never ingested one for she wished to create a Darwin-bot beyond the others she'd already made.

Her first series –which she called Primus –were too faulty and too much of a variable. She had already planned to suppress the emergence of them using her gene-editing machine she'd made on Earth.

The second series –Duos– were very near to what she needed, but they were still lacking in one part which lead her to create the perfect Darwin-bot.

It was one that truly encapsulated what she felt one could need to not just survive, but thrive once the Duos and Primus series were spread out . She had worked on this the longest and had been stumped on it for weeks. Finally she had managed to procure the very last peace that she had required.

Novus was going to be glorious. However, just as she had managed to integrate the missing piece into her Novus series, she'd yet again been betrayed.

One of her partners had somehow stolen a multitude of her Duos versions that she'd hidden and used an escape pod to get to Earth. She didn't report it as she was sure her ship would get blasted out the sky if people were to discover what the seemingly innocent Alpha Station was up to.

She supposed it was fitting then that the Apocalypse happened not long after that incident. She had watched as every single slice of Earth was decimated and a well of satisfaction had sprung in her chest as those who had shamed her for her life's work reverted into the primitive, violent species she knew was typical of the human race. Project Ascendance was completely useless in the face of nuclear weapons

She had been the one who'd come up with the idea to unite all 13 space stations into the Ark. The ship that, like the biblical story, would keep humans safe from the flood that ravaged and tore at the Earth.

She was sure a new world would rise from the ashes of the last. In fact, she was sure that soon enough the Earth would be habitable again. The human race was rather resilient after all.

Darah looked up from her work and finally place her Novus capsule in a briefcase that also had the last 120 Duos capsules she had.

She wouldn't let these go to waste. It was not her destiny to return to Earth, but she would make sure that the first to return to Earth would use these. The Earth was infinitely more resilient and adaptable than the human race and she was sure whatever the first people to return to Earth would find would be unlike anything ever seen before.

A knock at the door drew her attention and she activated the button that would open it.

"Commander Sydney,"said Michael Oliver, her most trusted guard,"The other stations are inquiring if Alpha Station is ready for the unification process tomorrow?"

Darah smiled and nodded,"Everything is in order. Please begin the pre-preparations for the docking process."

Michael nodded and said,"Yes Commander."

As Michael was about to leave Darah said,"By the way Michael. You don't need to refer to me as Commander anymore."

Michael looked back at Darah in surprise and smiled as she answered his unspoken question.

"Call me Chancellor."

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97 years later

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Thelonious Jaha sat inside the office and contemplated the news he had received regarding the 100.

Charles Pike had informed that only a few of the 100 had taken his teachings to heart and that without an edge they'd succumb to whatever threats that were lurking before they'd die of radiation.

The Chancellor's pin weighed heavy on his soul as he had to make what was a decidedly immoral choice, but ultimately the right one.

It was only known to a few, but it was discovered that there were parts of the Earth that were not as affected by the lingering radiation.

The Earth Rover that they had sent down 20 years ago had detected that the levels were dropping however it had stopped transmitting a long time ago.

Thus, the 100 will either step into an inhospitable planet and die or they might find the Earth to be habitable, but succumb to what else might still call the Earth home.

Thelonious stood from his chair and leaving his office he walked to an area of the Ark known only as the Keep.

It was an area only accessible by the current Chancellor and was guarded at all times by various guards. It was here where all the secrets of the Ark and all plans were kept.

He reached the door and nodding to the guards outside the door he entered the PIN and opened his eye for the retina scan before the door opened.

He stepped in and was allowed into the area of the Keep that all council members were allowed access to.

There was a door further back at end of the room with the symbol of the Ark gleaming on it. He walked past the various cabinets and eventually reached the door.

It was made out of thick cast iron and had a small button next to the door. He pressed it and was unsurprised at the robotic voice that emanated from hidden speakers.

"State your name."

"Thelonious Jaha."

Instantly, the door opened and inside the room were shelves and cabinets containing secrets that were beyond the jurisdiction of even the council. It was here where the history of mankind was kept– the space stations had managed to procure as many of the secrets of the governments of old as both a show of faith and bartering tools to enter into the Ark.

The information here was meant for the Chancellor's eyes only and while it barely meant anything now, the first Chancellor Darah Sydney had deemed it enough of a trade-off for them to join.

It ranged from information on their operations in other countries to secret technology that had been kept secret.

That was not what he was here for though.

He approached the very last cabinet at the end of the room and this one unlike the others in the room only had one drawer.

He pulled it out and within was a suitcase with the initials D.S emblazoned across it.

He opened it and saw vials of a silvery solution arranged in rows of 10 and in the very centre the pattern was broken by a single vial containing a glittering gold.

He knew what these were. In fact, every Chancellor was briefed on what these could do and when they could be used.

The Darwin nanobots were the brainchild of the first ever Chancellor of the Ark and grandmother of his predecessor.

She had made it law that these could only ever be used upon returning to

Earth and Jaha knew from her journal that while they weren't 100% efficient he felt the 100 would need them in the hopes that it would keep them alive that little bit longer.

It was dangerous though to essentially give what were weapons to convicted criminals however he was sure that they'd do right by the faith he was placing in them.

The 100 were the last hope of the Ark and he knew that if they did survive the Earth then they would need the gifts that the Darwin-bots would bestow upon them.

They would also need a leader and from Pike's assessment on the readiness of each of the 100 he knew who the leader would be.

Clarke may hate him for killing her father, but she cared about others like few other people that he has ever seen before.

It was why he would give her the Novus capsule. He knew that even in their supposedly civilised world that might makes right and the smartest thing to do would be to give the most power to the one who'd use it wisely.

It may cause Abby to hate him more, but he didn't care. Clarke will be the key to saving them all and that's all that mattered.

Thelonious closed the case and once he existed the Keep he signalled for one the guards to walk with him.

"Jack, tell your men to gather the councillors for a meeting within the next half-hour. Tell them if they're late they will be stripped of their rank as a councillor effective immediately."

The guard –while surprised at the

serious tone in the Chancellor's voice– nodded and said," Yes sir!"

Jaha nodded and once he was left alone said softly," I'm gifting weapons to 100 criminals in the hopes that they'll survive whatever hell awaits them and in turn allow the citizens of the Ark to survive. This will either cement my name in history or... condemn everyone on board to a slow death."

It was this that caused the turmoil within Jaha to keep churning and bubbling until he reached the door to the council's meeting room.

He calmed his nerves once he opened the door and observed that the entire council had already made it here in the time it took him to walk here.

Jaha sat in his designated seat and said,"There's been a change to the plan regarding the 100."

Stony silence was his answer and with a deep breath Jaha began to explain his plan to the council.

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Clarke sat in her prison cell and regarded all the pictures she'd drawn onto the cold, harsh walls of her cell.

She still couldn't believe the gall of Jaha. He'd been given irrefutable proof by her father of the impending failure of the Ark and the thanks her dad had been given was a one-way trip to the void of space.

She'd been locked up as well, but due to being under the age of 18 she hadn't been floated. There were times where she wished she had been. She often felt as though the walls of her cell were pressing down on her and squeezing the life out of her very soul.

The only thing keeping her from losing her mind was drawing and thoughts of the people of the Ark. If she died then the dirty, little secret of the Ark would die with her. It was why she had to soldier on and in the event that she passes her review on her 18th birthday she would expose the truth to the citizens of the Ark.

A commotion outside her cell drew her attention before she stood up as the room to her door slammed open.

A few guards entered and one yelled at her,"Prisoner 316! Up against the wall! Now!"

Apparently, she'd taken too long to proceed and the sting of a shock baton against her side spread throughout her body and she fell to the ground after what felt like hours of torture.

Her mind was barely aware of what was going and as she was placed on a trolley and wheeled away the ceiling lights above her were passing by in a blur. At some stage she felt the tightening of straps across her ankles and wrist before she felt a prick in her neck and she fell unconscious.

In a daze, Clarke had gained some awareness and recognised she was in the private, medical wing of the Ark only see her mother approach her. She felt the weight of something on her wrist and before she could say a word her mother spoke.

"Honey, I know this is all confusing, but just have faith and remember this was the only way,"stated Abby with slight tremors in her voice.

Clarke was still confused and as she was about to voice an inquiry her mother pulled out a syringe filled with a golden liquid and without pause injected her with it.

"Mom...What was that? What's going–"

Clarke's frantic interrogation was cut off by her own scream of pain and she began convulsing wildly.

Abby steeled herself despite the agony that Clarke was going through and prepared another syringe. She approached her daughter and injected the contents of the syringe.

Within second Clarke fainted and fell still. Abby let tears fall freely from her eyes before she wiped them and called for the guards outside to take Clarke to the designated dropship and to bring in the next inmate.

"I hope you will survive the ground Clarke. This was the easiest challenge you'll have to face from now on."

Abby straightened and prepared the next inmate for their journey into hell.

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Clarke groggily woke up and saw all of her fellow inmates being strapped into seats on what she was sure was one of the dropships.

By the time Clarke had gained full awareness, the dropship had already launched and it was then that a voice next to her drew her attention.

"Clarke,"said Wells as he tried to gain the attention of his once best friend,"They're sending us to Earth. All 100 inmates have been sent to Earth. I don't–"

"Shut up Wells,"said Clarke gruffly as she grew more annoyed at the rambling of the person who had betrayed her,"You killed my father and now you expect me to just act like nothing's wrong?"

Wells was about to respond, but he was interrupted by a boy who'd escaped his seat and was flying around the interior of the dropship.

"Hey guys. It's looking a little tense here so I thought I'd cut in,"said Finn as he looked at the two people seated in front of him.

"Look Spacewalker and you guys clowning around,"said Clarke increasing in volume to get the attention of the other idiots that were out of their seats ,"You're going to die if you don't get back into your seats. The gravity of–"

"Fuck you princess! Your mom being on the council means shit over here!" yelled one of the boys who' Clarke had been addressing.

Finn, however, took his seat which happened to be next to Clarke's and said,"Thanks for the warning princess!"

The screen in the room lit up and the face of Thelonious Jaha appeared on screen.

"To all 100 inmates of the Ark. You have been sent to Earth to see if it's habitable for human life. This is a second chance for all of you to make something of yourselves. The Earth Skills you had been taught were in preparation for this exact moment. You will need to stick together and make sure you survive. The wristbands you have on are important as they will tell us whether or not you have died. Do not take them off under any circumstances. The rest of the Ark will follow you down to Earth if and only if we believe it to be habitable. There is an old base that contains supplies and food designed to feed 100 people for 1 month it's called–"

"Shut up!"screamed one of the floating boys who'd apparently had enough of what the Chancellor had to say before he punched the screen and the recording of what Jaha had to say was cut off.

Clarke's eyes flashed angrily and she yelled,"You idiot! He was going to tell us the location of an old base! How else are we going to survive!"

The dropship grew eerily quiet at Clarke's words before a sudden lurch shook the dropship as the thrusters activated and the culprit was slammed hard into the floor.

Everyone on board screamed as they began their plummet to ground. Clarke was able to regain her calm rather quickly and she was surprised to note that the metal handrails she'd been holding onto had grooves in it where she'd held onto it.

Her confusion at the sight didn't last as the parachutes were deployed and she checked on everyone to see if anyone else had been hurt. There were none except for the two boys who had foolishly stayed out of their seats.

The dropship finally landed and in a rush everyone got out of their seats and approached the door.

A person in the standard regalia of the Guard stood at the door and was about to press the button to open the door when Clarke cut him off.

"Stop! There might still be some radiation left over. Open that door and we die."

The Guard looked at her and said,"If there is radiation out there and we stay in here we'll die anyways."

Clarke paused for a bit and ultimately accepted his reasoning and said,"Open the door."

The guard was about to press the button before a voice called from the back,"Bellamy? What are you doing here?"

A girl with long black hair approached the guard before hugging him tightly. Clarke was surprised as she recognised the girl.

Octavia Blake. The girl who got locked up for being born. She'd spent the vast majority of her life under the floor of her family's room and judging by the murmurs Clarke wasn't the only one who had identified her.

"I came to protect you O,"said Bellamy as he hugged her tightly before saying,"Do you want to be the first person to return to Earth?"

A smile spread across Octavia's face before she nodded enthusiastically. Bellamy pressed the button and as the door lowered, everyone held their breaths.

When they weren't suddenly destroyed, Octavia rushed out and took in the sights of the forest and blue skies around her. She finally stepped of the ramp and once she landed on the ground let out a loud scream,"We're back bitches!"

Immediately, cheers rang out amongst the teens as they all rushed out. Eventually, there was only one person left aboard.

Clarke looked at her seat where the grooves in the metal were still prominent.

She observed the joyful faces of her fellow inmates before looking down at her hands.

"Something's wrong,"said Clarke as she looked down at her hands.

She had a feeling that life was about to get more complicated and it was probably thanks to whatever her mother had injected her with.

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**Author Notes:****This just came into my head. This is obviously an AU so the events of the 100 might not happen as expected. I'm sure you've picked up on the changes and this was just the exposition and I hope there is enough interest in this for me to continue writing.**

**The length of the chapters will increase, but I just had to put feelers out first and this idea came to me out of nowhere.**

**Romance****: ClarkeX?**

I'll** just leave that there.** **All it means is that Clarke won't end up with the first person she falls for. Or will she?**

**Read****, Review and Share.**


	2. Golden

**I'm glad for the reviews I've gotten. That was some of the best feedback I've ever had so thanks for that. I deeply appreciate it.**

I** write on my phone so I apologise if I've missed anything.**

I** included Trigedasleng in this, but it's very minimal. In general, I'll use italics to convey that someone is speaking in Trigedasleng unless it's iconic or sounds better in which case I'll include the translation either at the end or directly afterwards.**

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Clarke was not happy at how things had turned out. The fools she was stuck with had more interest in exploring the forest than setting up shelters for later on.

The Ark had been nice enough to provide everyone with their own set of supplies such as tarpaulins, cups, rope, pegs, sleeping bags, pillows and there was even a large box which contained a map and a compass.

There was also enough rations and water included to last a week, but that could be either shorter or longer depending on the person and their eating habits.

If there was any indication that the 100 being shunted down to Earth was done a whim, the supplies which would have taken weeks to get together disproved that idea.

Clarke looked at the corpses of the two boys who had been out of their seats when the thrusters had activated and shuddered. Their death may have been quick, but she doubted it was painless.

It had been well over an hour since they landed and all everyone seemed interested in was enjoying their new found freedom. They did not even know they had supplies as Clarke had been the only one with enough sense to explore the dropship.

Even Wells had been enamoured with their surroundings and despite herself Clarke couldn't blame anyone for it. She'd probably also be outside exploring if it wasn't for main problem plaguing her.

On the Ark, the citizens were encouraged to exercise as much as possible in order to keep their bodies in shape. In the earlier years of the Ark, those who had been physically unfit had been amongst the first to succumb to the pressure living in space.

The human body though quite adaptable in most cases had been on the Earth for millions of years. Thus, it was not initially adapted to life in space. The space-related sicknesses had died down a long time ago as their bodies got used to their new environment.

Evolution was something that had taught to the Citizens of the Ark and it was apparently a demand made by the very first Chancellor who had been the creator of the Ark yet ironically opposed to the ideas of religion.

Darah Sydney had wished for the Citizens of the Ark to be similar and as such religion was cut down and English was made the official language of the Ark.

It was meant to reduce the differences between the people as it had shown throughout history that the differences amongst humans had caused many conflicts and wars.

Clarke had taken all of her studies a lot more serious than the rest of her peers. She'd been intrigued by the idea of evolution and genetics thus she had immersed herself in the textbooks and articles stored in the electronic library of the Ark.

She had read on the various adaptations that animals and humans had developed. They ranged from the relatively mundane adaptations such as animals fur turning white in winter to the astonishing such as fish in the Antarctic Ocean having the ability to create antifreeze proteins that prevented them from freezing to death.

Thus, Clarke was well versed in the field of evolution and also understood the human body to a great degree having been arrested days away from her final certification test that would let her be a doctor. She was certain she was going to pass and having been around her mother had helped her grasp the concepts easily.

It was this knowledge that confounded Clarke as she knew all about the limits of human evolution and strength or she thought she did until she'd bent the steel handrails of her seat.

She knew that the type of strength was well beyond the capabilities of humans. She suspected that her body had undergone a massive change from the time she'd been restrained by the guard to her time on the ship.

She had been unable to break free of her restraints before her mother had injected her with that–

"Impossible,"murmured Clarke as she had an epiphany. The golden solution that had been injected had been unlike anything she's ever seen before.

It had also caused her body to experience excruciating pain unlike anything she's ever felt in her life.

Clarke stood up from her seated position and she went back to the top level of the dropship before she found what she was looking for.

She went through the survival pack of one of the two dead boys and retrieved a peg. It was made of cast iron and clearly designed to support a large amount of pressure.

She held the peg in between her hands before trying to snap it like she'd done out of frustration to some of the pencils she'd been given during her imprisonment.

The groaning of metal drew her attention and a feeling of detachment from the moment rose up in Clarke as she bent an iron spike with near minimal effort.

She observed the spike and it clearly had no signs of rust or any other structural default that would enable her to bend it as easily as she had.

Is this what the injection had done to her? Why was it given to her? Did any of the others also get an injection?

"I should keep this quiet,"said Clarke softly as she went to the ladder to climb down and on the way down she slipped a little and had to catch herself, but she ended up bending the rail that her hands were on.

"It's probably going to be harder than I think if I can't even control my strength,"said Clarke dryly as she glared at the bent rail as if it was somehow to blame for all this. She continued her descent and was just about to pick up the first corpse when a familiar voice drew her attention.

"Hey princess,"said Finn as he entered the dropship, but he stopped as he saw the corpses of Nathan and Mason. The two boys who'd stupidly ignored Clarke's advice and paid for it with their lives.

Finn felt trepidation well up inside him as he knew if it wasn't for Clarke he'd be dead like the two in front of him. He saw that Clarke had reached for the body of Mason who had punched the screen before his demise.

"You need any help with that? He looks pretty heavy and I'm stronger than I look,"said Finn as he looked at Clarke.

Finn smiled as a small smirk stretched across Clarke's face before she said,"Yeah, I suppose I do need some help."

Finn moved to the boy's ankles and Clarke held him at his wrists before they both lifted after a count of three. They snaked around the back of the dropship amid gasps of horror from their fellow delinquents before they went into the surrounding forestry.

They finally reached a rather large clearing after a few minutes that was both suitably far away from the drop ship and had a smooth floor that could easily be dug up.

They placed the body down and Finn gingerly rubbed his wrists as he tried to get some feeling back in them. Clarke on the other hand looked perfectly fine and she began walking towards where she knew the dropship.

Finn was surprised that Clarke had barely taken a moment to rest and rushed to catch up with her.

"Hey do you work out? I mean like intense weights training and all that,"said Finn as that body had been heavy even with the two of them carrying it. Oddly, it would feel like at times Clarke was carrying more of the weight than he was which surprised Finn since her body didn't really seem capable of handling weight with the ease that it had.

Clarke panicked for a second before inspiration hit her and she said,"I'm stronger than I look you know."

Finn smiled at Clarke despite having his words thrown back at him. The two walked back in a comfortable silence before they reached the dropship.

Clarke quickly rushed up the stairs and going through the big supply box and she retrieved a medium-sized shovel that luckily had a strap she could put over her shoulder.

She went down the ladder and with Finn already waiting for her they took the body of Nathan and began to walk to the clearing where they had dropped off Mason's body.

They finally reached the clearing and after they laid Nathan down Clarke began digging using her shovel. It was the least she could do after all. The two had already died and even though it had been entirely preventable, Clarke would at least see to it that they got the burial they deserved.

Finn offered to rotate with her, but Clarke shook her head,"No, rather go back to the dropship and get the other shovel. It'd be quicker if we both focused on one grave instead of constantly swapping. The shovels are on the top level and don't let anyone up there if you can help it. I don't trust them to distribute the rations properly."

Finn gave her a salute and said,"Got it. I'll be back soon."

Clarke halted in her digging and waited for Finn to disappear from sight before taking a deep breath. She had a feeling that enhanced strength wasn't the only thing she'd been gifted with and she decided to put it to the test.

She jumped out of the grave and wasn't entirely surprised when she went higher than she's ever leapt before. She was barely able to put her arms underneath her and she managed to land safely on the ground.

Clarke let out a small breath and said,"Okay. Let's see what else I can do."

Clarke then stood up and decided that she'd done enough experimenting for now. She picked her shovel up and began to dig in earnest and her strength helped her speed the process up.

She might have been a bit overzealous in her attempt to finish as by the time Finn had returned she'd already placed Mason's corspe in the rather deep grave and was in the process of putting the dirt back into it.

"Ok, I got the shovel. How far are you?"said Finn before he dropped his shovel as he took in the large pile of dirt that was freshly dug up,"Are we digging graves or digging for gold?"

Clarke shrugged and said,"The graves need to be deep enough for their bodies to not rise up."

Finn nodded and said,"Fair enough, but how did you get so far ahead? I've been gone only for like a few minutes."

Clarke opened her mouth, but Finn cut her off and said,"Yeah, yeah. You're stronger than you look. Anyways, there's something going on back at camp and I think you might want to have a look so don't worry I got this."

Clarke raised an eyebrow and said,"Interesting? What's going on?"

Finn shook his head and said,"Well let's just say Bellamy found some pretty interesting fuel for a fire."

Clarke immediately rose and was about to leave when Finn called after her,"Hey princess! Were you the only one in the upper level of the dropship?"

Clarke was surprised at the random question and said,"Yeah, anyways I've got to go. Thanks for your help, Finn."

In a few seconds, Clarke was gone and Finn turned his attention to the open grave before him and he took something out of his pocket before bringing it up to his eye.

The light from the sun reflected a little off the metal spike that was bent completely bent out of shape. Finn looked at the direction Clarke had run off in before throwing the spike in the grave.

He then began to shovel the dirt back into the grave and once he was done he looked to the sky thinking of what he had discovered. A large part of him was still confused, but the signs were clearing pointing out only one solution.

"Yeah. A lot stronger than you look."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The sun was still pretty high in the sky and so Clarke had absolutely no trouble getting back to the dropship at all.

She'd had an odd feeling when she saw Bellamy as his guard uniform wasn't even the right size and oddly enough his name wasn't on any of the survival packs.

She put that on the back burner though as she reached their landing site and was surprised to see the large fire burning with people cheering around it.

Her confusion grew until she saw Bellamy and Murphy removed the wristband of another boy, Atom, if she remembered correctly. Another round of cheers rang out before Atom threw the wristband into the fire.

There was a line of people who were waiting for their wristbands to be removed, but it wasn't everyone as there others who were indifferent to the whole thing and simply watched.

She ran into the clearing and was able to grab onto the wrist of Murphy who was about to use his knife to remove the wristband of another person before she turned to Bellamy and said,"What the hell is going on here?"

Bellamy smirked and said,"What do you think? We're taking these stupid things off!"

Clarke frowned and said,"Are you stupid? The Ark will never send people down if they think the Earth is uninhabitable. How are we going to survive? We have no way of contacting the Ark and now they think we're all busy dropping like flies."

Murmurs rose up as worry began to settle in and Bellamy realising he was losing face said,"Don't listen to her! Her mom is on the council! The same council that sent is down here to die. Jaha and his cronies locked you guys up and left you to rot, but I say no more! The Earth is ours now so we can do whatever the hell we want!"

Cheers rang up from those who had removed their wristbands as well as some of the others that were surrounding the altercation.

Clarke sighed seeing everyone was cheering and made to leave, but her wrist was held by Murphy who said,"I'll bet the Ark won't come down if they think their little Princess over here is dead."

Murphy then pulled Clarke's wrist towards or he tried to, but Clarke feeling very annoyed at this point punched him in the face and he fell unconscious.

The impact of her fist connecting with Murphy's face was loud enough to silence the crowd and everyone was surprised that Clarke had managed to knock Murphy out with one hit.

The silence that followed was deafening and Clarke seeing a golden opportunity to speak said,"We're going to need some supplies. If you guys hadn't been doing whatever the hell you wanted, you would have seen that the Ark had packed us some supplies and clothes, but they aren't enough to last us long so we'll need to gather resources and build shelters."

Clarke then began walking to the dropship, but stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned back and felt a flash of annoyance well up within her as she Wells looking at her.

"Clarke, are you okay? Is your hand bruised?"said Wells as he tried to examine the hand of his childhood friend.

Clarke ripped her shoulder from his grasp and said,"I'm fine. Don't bother following me. I can handle handing out the rations. If you want to be useful gather up some people for a supply run."

Wells looked upset and said,"How long are you going to be upset at me for that? I've done everything I can–"

"Including getting my dad killed. Sorry if I can't find it in me to forgive you. There must clearly be something wrong with me if I can't forgive you for something so small,"spat Clarke before she turned away fully and walked through the crowd of people surrounding the dropship.

She walked up the ramp and said,"I checked everything out and we have decent supplies, but I'd suggest pooling your resources together because the tarpaulins aren't really big enough to make adequate resources. Everyone be calm and you'll get your supplies."

With that said Clarke went inside and went to start to take the supplies down and she was surprised when a couple of the others had followed and began to help her.

She nodded gratefully at them and it took only a further 30 minutes to take all the supplies down and distribute them to their rightful owners.

Eventually, there were only the two packs that belonged to Nathan and Mason left over as well as Clarke and Finn's packs. Shed given Murphy's pack to one of Bellamy's goons and as she sat down Bellamy stepped inside the dropship.

Clarke threw him Mason's pack and said,"Aren't you lucky? If they hadn't been so dumb, you wouldn't have had anything left for yourself. It is strange that's Guard wasn't given the necessary provisions, but then again you obviously aren't a Guard."

Bellamy put down the pack and then walked right up to Clarke and stared her down,"Does that matter? Look princess you may feel like you need to take charge and call all the shots, but understand this. I won't let you ruin this for me and everyone else down here so don't expect me to bow down to you. I'm the best person to lead us so you better stand down if you know what's good for you."

Clarke was hardly intimidated by Bellamy's words even when he pulled aside his jacket to reveal the gun and said," I'm not scared of you and you can go around and wave that gun like it makes you a better person, but we both know the truth."

Clarke took one step closer to Bellamy and said,"You're just as scared as everyone else and you're trying to hide it, but when you're alone like this without your posse I can see you for the coward you are."

Clarke then walked past Bellamy and bumped his shoulder before she turned to him and said,"Now let's go. We're going on a hunt and if we're able to survive there must be other stuff around here too and we'll need that gun. I hope you aren't a lousy shot."

Bellamy took a moment to contemplate her words before making his way out the dropship. He spotted her at the far end of the clearing standing with Wells, Atom, Roma, Murphy and Finn who was holding two shovels and had dirt on some parts of his sleeve.

He smiled as he thought of the altercation he just had and said,"Clarke Griffin, huh?"

He walked up to them and they all exchanged a few nods before they wordlessly began walking into the surrounding forestry once he'd reached them.

The tension amongst them was palpable and there were a variety of reasons for this mostly having to do with Clarke.

Murphy kept shooting the girl who'd laid him out a glare as he followed her from the back end of their little, hunting party. He was next to Bellamy and said,"Once we get far enough from here, I swear I'm going to hurt this chick."

Bellamy, however, scoffed and said,"Get over the fact that she laid you out. You did kinda try to force her to take off her wristband. That was a bit of an ass move. Besides, we'll need her. The people listen to her and from what I've heard she's the only doctor here. Plus, I doubt you'd want her to give you another shiner so just drop it."

Murphy frowned at Bellamy's words and said sarcastically,"Whatever. You're the boss, right?"

Bellamy's eyes narrowed and he grabbed Murphy by the collar before he said,"That's right. I am the boss and if you want to be the boss then you can try and take it from me."

Bellamy pushed him away and sped up his speed so he was now walking next to Clarke and Wells as they trailed Finn who was apparently on the track of something.

They followed the prints before they found a herd of deer. They admired the sight of the majestic animals before Clarke looked towards Bellamy and nodded.

He followed the unspoken request and took out his gun much to the surprise of Wells and Finn and he took aim at the largest of the animals before firing.

The ring from the gun echoed in everyone's ears and they watched as all the deer scattered and everyone sighed as it became apparent that Bellamy had missed his shot.

"Nice shot,"said Finn as they continued to walk, but Bellamy tried to grab for him. Luckily, Wells intercepted him and said,"Guys. Now's not the time for petty arguments. We need to get something to eat back to camp because I don't know about you, but I'm not up to eating rations when we could have something else."

Bellamy calmed down and the group was able to encounter another herd of deer, but this time Bellamy struck true and once the deer fell he turned to Murphy and Wells and said,"You guys should take it back to camp and skin it properly before cooking it. I'm sure you guys know which parts to throw and which to keep. We're going to fan out and see if we can find other fruits and a water source."

Wells and Murphy nodded albeit reluctantly as Wells didn't trust Bellamy to not harm Clarke and Murphy still felt annoyed at Bellamy's words from earlier. In the end though, they hefted up the deer and made their way back to camp.

The rest of the group continued to shadow Finn and there again wasn't much of a conversation going.

Suddenly, Roma went still and said,"Have any of you guys seem Atom?"

The group paused and Clarke was about to say something before a sound from above drew her attention. She looked and was just barely to move out of the way of the falling object only to recoil as she saw Atom with a slashed open throat.

"In the trees!" screamed Clarke as she realised something that sent chills into her very soul,"They're people in the trees."

Roma panicked when she heard the words uttered by Clarke and began running off in a random direction.

Bellamy sighed and said,"Roma, stop! We need to get her. They want us to split up."

Finn was still staring at the body of Atom and said,"They? "

Clarke nodded and said,"Grounders. We're not alone."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Roma was running through the forest and she felt panic rise up in her as she heard the groaning of the branches. She kept running, but she turned in another direction as a spear landed just in front of her.

She tried to pick up speed, but was shocked to spot two people wearing strange clothes in front of her.

She saw them reach for the swords that were holstered on their bag and she suddenly felt a rush of adrenaline soar through her before she instinctively did what her body was telling her to.

Roma let out an unearthly scream and the two people opposite her sunk to their knees as they couldn't handle the sheer volume of her scream.

A few hundred metres away, Clarke, Finn and Bellamy heard the scream and they all recognised it at once.

"That was Roma,"said Clarke before she began running in the direction of the rather loud scream. Finn and Bellamy were surprised at the speed with which Clarke was running and were further astonished when Roma's scream cut off and Clarke's speed shot way up to the point where she quite literally blurred away in a streak.

Finn and Bellamy stopped and looked at each other before Finn said,"Did you see that?"

Bellamy nodded and said,"I saw that, but I'm still working on believing."

Finn shook his head and said,"I knew there was something about her."

He began running again with Bellamy hot on his trail who said,"What the hell is going on here?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Clarke ran into the area that she believed Roma was in and she struggled to stop herself. Clarke tried to gain her bearings as she still felt rather disoriented from having ran at speeds she'd never experienced before.

"This day just keeps getting better and better,"said Clarke before she turned towards Roma who was about fifty metres away and saw her on her knees breathing harshly. She also saw two other people opposite Roma who were staggering towards her. One of the two Grounders had blood dripping from his ears yet he paid them no heed.

The Grounder with the bleeding ears looked to the other and while pointing at Roma said in an extremely loud voice ,"Wangoufu!"

The other looked excited and they both began advancing on a scared Roma. Clarke decided that enough was enough and she ran into the clearing soaring at the amazing speeds she had attained earlier.

Time seemed to slow down for Clarke as she launched a punch into the face of the one and turned before she quickly punched the other one as well. This was all before they could take one more step towards Roma.

The two Grounders were sent hurtling far away and they both crashed through a couple of trees which then fell onto them.

Clarke was breathing slightly heavily and she turned towards Roma who looked at her amazed and said,"Thanks Clarke. You saved my life. I thought that my scream was enough, but they recovered and I became so tired. I really thought I was a goner for sure."

Clarke's mind was barely paying attention to Roma's words after she processed something Roma had said.

Clarke cut Roma off and said,"You're telling me your scream was what caused that guy to bleed from his ears?"

Roma nodded and said,"Yeah. It was weird. I just felt cornered and scared when they caught up to me, but then it was like my body knew what it had to do to survive and I just screamed and it worked. Wait how did you save me? I just saw a blur and...do you have pow–"

Roma's mouth was covered by Clarke's hand and she said,"You were getting loud. We don't know if there's more of them out there or not. I'll answer all questions as soon as I get back to camp. Something tells me we aren't the only ones who have powers."

Roma nodded and she felt fully recovered before she gratefully accepted Clarke's hand and they began to leave the clearing. They heard rustling and froze, but they were relieved to see the faces of Finn and Bellamy.

"Princess,"said Finn as he entered the clearing,"You've got a lot to explain. What the hell is going on? You just disappeared and ran here so quickly we couldn't keep up."

Bellamy nodded and said,"We're not going back to camp until you tell us exactly what's going on."

Clarke sighed as she felt the inquisitive and suspicious stares from Bellamy and Finn and was about to reply until her eye caught sight of what looked like another Grounder with a metal spear held back. He threw it and she could tell it was aimed for Finn.

She yelled out a warning and ran towards them, but she felt as though she was not going to make it. It was still strange for Clarke to travel at such speeds as it seemed like everything around her was going a lot slower.

Finn had spotted the spear and just as she was about to push him out of the way when to her horror she ran straight through him.

She turned back and she was gutted to see the spear hit Finn, but oddly enough it didn't stop and it continued into the ground like Finn wasn't even standing there.

Time came back to normal for Clarke and Finn was surprised to note that the spear had not hurt him.

He looked behind him and saw the spear still shaking after it had pegged inches deep into the ground. He turned towards Bellamy who looked freaked out and said,"Will someone please explain what the hell is going on?"

The Grounder in the tree pointed at Finn and then at Clarke before he said,"Wangoufu."

He reached behind him and was ready to unlatch another spear, but he felt a crushing pressure around him and he was surprised to see the girl with hair like the sun holding her hand out towards him.

Clarke had again felt something within her click as she saw the Grounder reach behind him and she knew that the other three were too shellshocked to react on time.

She held her hand out towards the Grounder with her fingers fully extended. Her hand was emitting a blue light and unbeknownst to Clarke her eyes were also glowing a bright blue.

A translucent, bubble of energy formed around the Grounder's body before she moved her focused and there were now only two band of energys on each of his arms and she moved her hand so he was dangling in the air like a marionette.

She then said,"I don't know if you understand me and I don't care. You better leave me and my friends alone or else you won't be so lucky."

Clarke then clenched her hand into a fist and to the shock of everyone there a large snapping noise echoed out and the man's arms were cleanly broken. The man began to let out hoarse screaming before he fainted.

Clarke's eyes finally stopped glowing and all of a sudden the reality of what's she done hits her hard. She almost falls to her knees, but she steadies herself and looks towards where she had punched the first two Grounders towards.

She could vaguely hear two distinctly different groans of pain and that calmed her down some before she heard Finn say something in a concerned voice.

"Princess, you alright?"

Clarke was about to nod until she felt something dripping from her nose. She reached up and saw some blood dripping before she suddenly couldn't keep herself standing, but she was caught by Finn who said,"Just relax Clarke. You've done enough for today."

Clarke's eyes drooped closed and she finally relaxed. Finn brought her up into bridal style and was surprised at just how much easier to was carry her as she genuinely barely weighed anything in Finn's eyes.

He looked back towards the Grounder's and said to Roma,"Take their weapons. Make sure they have nothing left."

Roma nodded and gathered up the spears and swords that were lying around and she gave some of them to Bellamy who seemed to be unaware of what was going on.

"Hey Blake," said Finn as he began to walk off with Clarke in his arms,"You wouldn't happen to be able to teleport us to camp?"

Bellamy finally snapped out of his daze and simply stalked off. Finn and Roma shared a look before they walked off towards the dropship.

If they had remained any longer, they would have seen the Grounder whose arms were broken by Clarke begin to stir. He rose and groaned before he seemed to focus and his mangled arms were snapped back into place. It looked like they hadn't even been broken at all.

He heard the groans of his fellow Nonkru and in a shocking display of strength he moved the trees laying on top of them off.

They were both fine, but they both had broken arms that were rather clean breaks and only had slight injuries to their legs. All in all, after about 4 weeks they'd be fully recovered and a lot sooner if he decided to heal them.

Their groans died down as the trees were taken off them and they were relieved to see their partner until they heard the words uttered by the man.

"Yu gonplei ste odon."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Clarke woke up and she was surprised to find herself in a large shelter made from a lot of tarpaulins and lots of thick, firm branches.

She recognised the sleeping bag she was in as the one that had been in her own ration bag, but she was unsure where all of the other tarpaulins and pillows had come from.

She stood up and walked outside and she was surprised to see the camp looking in good order as everyone was seemingly working together to build a wall around the dropship and the many shelters that had popped up around it.

Clarke wasn't really paying attention to her surroundings and as such she bumped into someone while pondering how all this was possible.

"Clarke, is that you?"said a boy who was carrying a sack of berries,"When did you wake up? How are you feeling? Roma told us you took down three Grounders on your own, but–"

"Monty, please slow down,"said Clarke cutting the boy off as she felt a headache forming from the onslaught of questions,"Please tell me what's happened since I left for the hunt."

Monty looked a bit sheepish and said,"Well we began building shelters, but then everyone kinda stopped for a while after Wells and Murphy brought back a deer then after they skinned it and they began making the meat. Maybe like an hour and a half after that Finn, Bellamy and Roma came back and Finn was carrying you. They said that Atom was killed by Grounders and Bellamy took Miller back to wherever you guys were to take Atom's body to the graveyard. After that we found out from Roma that you saved her life, but you were exhausted so you fainted. Roma, Finn and a couple others were the ones who built the shelter and they decided to give you the extra supplies."

Clarke was surprised and said,"Why did they do that? I didn't–"

Monty shook his head and said,"Clarke, you're kinda like a hero. You buried Mason and Nathan. You organised the rations and hunt. You stood up to Bellamy. You saved Roma from like 10 Grounders and you knocked out Murphy...There wasn't really much of an argument when it came down to it."

Clarke was surprised at the passion in Monty's voice and said a little sheepishly,"Firstly, It was only 2 Grounders that I saved Roma from. Secondly, I suppose if you put things that way then I guess I see why people were willing to help, but that's still unfair to everyone else. Does everyone have enough supplies?"

Monty nodded and said,"Yeah, a lot of people buddied up and pooled their resources together also Bellamy made people start to work on a wall so we could be safe from the Grounders. There's also people, like me, who go out on berry, nuts and fruit picking. There's also a hunting party, but they already left."

Clarke nodded and was about to leave before something hit her,"Did Finn, Roma or Bellamy mention how I beat the Grounders?"

Monty raised a brow and said ,"No, they didn't give anything specific. They just said you beat them on your own. Hmmm...now that you're awake. How did you beat them?"

Clarke let out a sigh of relief and said,"I'll tell you later. I'll tell everyone at the same time. We need the wall to be built first."

Monty nodded before opening his sack and said,"You might wanna eat some berries or something. It's probably been a while since your last meal."

Clarke smiled gratefully at Monty and took a handful of berries from the sack before she left looking for one of the three people who knew her secret.

Monty walked forward about 10 metres before he was roughly grabbed by a boy wearing goggles on his head.

"Monty,"said Jasper with a wide smile on his face,"Are you making moves on Clarke? You know that will probably make Finn come after you, right? Not to mention she's way out of your league."

" She's not out of my league, "said Monty, but he frowned when he heard a loud snort from his best friend.

Monty, like all best friends, decided to fight fire with fire,"How's it going with Octavia? Has she noticed you yet?"

Monty then left apparently not caring what Jasper had to say in response.

Jasper lost his smile and shouted after him,"That's not cool man! You're wrong by the way! She even called me my name today!"

Actually, Octavia had called him Casper, but that was not something Monty needed to know. It was close enough anyways.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Clarke was walking around the camp having already finished the berries she'd gotten from Monty. She was on the hunt for any of the three she needed to speak to. She kept asking the people who were building the walls if they'd seen Finn, Bellamy or Roma, but she found that Bellamy was out on a hunt and Finn had joined him. Fortunately, Roma was apparently still on site, but no one knew where she was exactly.

She finally spotted Roma who was alone inside the dropship and she went up to her and said," Hey Roma."

Roma turned and let out a gasp before she pulled Clarke into a hug,"Clarke! You finally woke up. You had me worried sick."

Clarke returned the hug and said,"It's good to see you're alright. Look we need to tell everyone about what really happened."

Roma stepped back from the hug and said,"I know, but Finn and Bellamy will only be back in quite a while and I feel like it's something we'll need to say in front of everyone at once."

Clarke nodded and said,"Yeah, you're right. So I heard you helped make my shelter and stuff thanks for that. I'm not exactly the best at that sort of stuff."

Roma nodded and looked Clarke in the eye,"It's the least I could do. You did save my life after all, what's building a shelter compared to that?"

Roma then stepped a bit closer to Clarke and whispered,"I could show you my tent. I don't share it with anyone so we'd have a lot of privacy."

Clarke was a bit stunned at the offer, but as she looked Roma in the eye she felt a spark light within her when she saw the sheer emotion in Roma's eyes. The two stepped closer to each other before Clarke pressed her lips against Roma's.

Clarke felt shivers run up and down her spine before she grabbed onto Roma's waist and pulled her in close. The two continued kissing until they separated and Roma said,"Your tent or mine?"

Clarke took a second to recover before she said,"Mine. There's a lot of pillows in there."

Roma smiled and she followed Clarke who was walking very quickly to her tent.

They finally made it to Clarke's tent and immediately continued to make out and Roma was about to remove her shirt, but Clarke stopped her.

"Roma, I hope you aren't looking for anything serious right?"said Clarke as much as she knew she wanted this she didn't want to break Roma's heart.

Roma took off her shirt and said,"Neither am I. Just think of this a thank you gift for saving my life."

Clarke took off her own shirt and said,"I thought that's what this tent was for."

Roma shook her head and said,"That wasn't really anything."

Roma began to kiss her way down Clarke's chest and once she reached the hem of Clarke's pants said,"This is my real thank you."

Clarke lifted her hips and Roma took the opportunity to remove Clarke's pants for her. Roma removed her own and now the two were left only in their underwear.

Clarke smiled and said,"Let's see how grateful you are and maybe I'll return the favour."

Roma smiled and said,"That would be my pleasure, princess."

Clarke was about to reply, but a large moan escaped from her mouth and cut off her retort as Roma had just pulled off Clarke's underwear and tried to show Clarke the depths of her appreciation.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Finn and Bellamy returned with the rest of their hunting party and they'd managed quite the haul. Their hunting group had managed to kill a few more deer and they hadn't even needed to use the gun thanks to the weapons from the Grounders doing their job.

Bellamy looked towards Finn as they walked past the nearly completed wall and said,"Do you think Clarke's up yet?"

Finn shrugged and said,"I don't know. I'll ask around in a little bit."

Finn laid down the deer he held on his shoulders and he asked Octavia if she'd seen Clarke.

Octavia gained a smile one her face and said,"Why do you need to look for her when I'm right here, Spacewalker?"

Finn smiled and said,"Look it's important have you seen her around? "

Octavia sighed and said,"Yeah, she came to the wall looking for you and Bell, but I haven't seen her since."

Finn nodded and said,"Thanks Octavia. I'll see you around."

Finn left the girl behind and began to make his way towards Clarke's tent. On the way there, he bumped into a upbeat Roma who said,"Clarke's on her way out. I just spoke to her."

Finn was surprised that Roma knew where he was going, but she cut him off saying," It's pretty obvious where you're going. You did stay by her bed for hours yesterday. Anyways, she said she wants everyone to meet outside the dropship and I'm sure you know why."

Finn nodded and said,"She's going public with it? It figures that the princess has a flair for the dramatic. I hope she takes the lead on this one because this is something that needs a gentle touch and out of the four of us I'd say Clarke would be best for this."

Roma nodded and said,"Yeah, she _does_ have a gentle touch. Anyways, let's gather everyone. Clarke'll be there soon."

Finn nodded and followed after her though he couldn't help, but feel like he was missing something.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Clarke walked around her tent as she mentally prepared herself for what she was about to reveal. It would be best if they got things out of the way now before it came to bite them in the ass later.

Clarke walked out of her tent and approached the dropship. It was the middle of the afternoon and she saw that wall was looking good so far. They'd probably end up needing it soon.

There was a buzz in the air as everyone waited around the outside of the dropship and waited for Clarke to make her announcement. The person in question finally appeared and she was let through the crowd as people made way for her.

Clarke walked up the ramp and waited for quiet before she said,"I'm sure you guys have heard how there are Grounders and that we aren't alone."

A voice called from the back,"You beat them though and we can do it again! Am I right!"

The crowd let out loud cheers and whistles, but Clarke held up her hand and the crowd fell silent.

"You're not right. These guys were fully fledged warriors and they were willing to kill all of us. In fact, we didn't know they killed Atom until they dropped his corspe on us from up in the trees. Finn, Bellamy, Roma and I should have died yesterday, but we didn't and I'm here to tell you why. "

Murmurs rose in the crowd as everyone began to panic at the new information being shared, but Clarke merely waited for them to get it out their system before saying,"Show of hands okay? Who was conscious when you gotten taken to Medical before being out on the Ark?"

Just about all of the delinquents except for one or two raised their hands.

"Do you remember anything specific about that time?"

Octavia spoke up and said,"Yeah, I remember being strapped down and they put this wristband on me before they injected some silvery solution into me and later I felt a prick on my neck and I woke up on the dropship."

The rest of the people who had had their hands up were nodding in agreement with what Octavia had said. Clarke, on the other hand, was surprised to find out that she the only one injected with something gold instead of silver.

Clarke took a deep breath and said,"What you guys don't know is that the thing we were injected with wasn't any sort of medicine. In fact, it was something that changed our bodies."

Clarke took out a metal peg and right before the crowd she effortlessly bent the peg into a circle amid cries of surprise and disbelief.

"The injections we were given must have given us powers and I used these powers to defeat the Grounders who attacked us."

In contrast to before, the crowd was dead silent before Murphy yelled from the back,"If that's true then why are you the only who can bend steel?"

Finn walked up the ramp and said,"She's not the only one. Come on princess let's show them"

Finn handed her a sword and Clarke took it hesitantly, buy she steeled herself and to the shock of everyone she thrust the sword right into Finn's chest.

A few people were waiting for the blood to erupt from Finn's torso as well as some screams of agony. To their surprise, Finn walked straight through the sword as if it wasn't even there and even walked through the first, few people in the crowd before returning to the top of the ramp.

Clarke seeing that she got the attention of the others said,"The thing is we don't how these powers activate. In general, they activated while one is in danger like what happened with Finn and Roma, but I already showed signs of my power when we first landed so there's a chance that some of you might have already activated your powers without knowing."

Finn took the lead and said,"A surefire way of knowing if your powers have activated is if certain physical tasks are easier. I was able to carry a deer for a couple of miles and it honestly felt like nothing."

The crowd began to chat excitedly before Bellamy said loudly,"Why don't out show everyone your real power Clarke?"

Clarke sent a dirty look at Bellamy and was annoyed to see the expectant look on everyone's face. Clarke sighed before she disappeared in a blur and reappeared, but this time Bellamy was with her.

Clarke let out a sigh of frustration as the crowd was now making a pure racket thanks to Bellamy's need to expose her. Clarke decided now was as good a time as any and to the surprise of the crowd her eyes began glowing a soft blue.

She held out her hand before the sword that she'd used earlier on Finn began to rise up with a translucent ,blue aura emanating from it. She moved her hand and was able to move the sword all without touching it.

Murphy stood up and said,"I get that Spacewalker over there can move through things and is quite a bit stronger, but what I don't understand is how you already have so many powers while the rest of us have nothing? "

Clarke let the sword drop and said,"I don't know why you guys haven't developed any powers. I think this thing acts like a virus almost and causes the changes to your body if your body doesn't reject it. There might be a reason why I might be developing powers earlier and more as well."

The crowd was completely silent as they hung onto every word Clarke had to say before she said,"Octavia, you guys said you were all injected with a _silver_ solution right?"

After Octavia confirmed it one again and was this time backed up by various other people, Clarke took a deep breath and said the words she'd been dying to get off her chest since she began this talk,"My solution wasn't silver."

Everyone, even Bellamy, looked towards her in shock and waited for her to continue.

"It was _gold_."

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**Trigedasleng:****Wangoufu- Children of Death/ Death **Child

Yu** gonplei ste odon- (no self-respecting fan of the 100 doesn't know this one)**

**Author**** Notes:**

**Okay**** thanks for the positive response and I see there are concerns about who's getting powers and who's not.****I think this chapter just expanded on the differences between Clarke and the others because as seen above in the story description Clarke is the main character so she'd need to be more than just another bloke who can shoot fire from his palms.**

**Drop**** reviews regarding what you may think is a good power for other people because I have a lot of them already chosen, but if I see a unique or better one I just might swap it out.**

**Also****, that scene with Roma and Clarke was my first time writing anything like that and it's not really my jam so I'll be experimenting with that and I know it's not the greatest scene but I think I did a decent enough job but please don't flame me because I really have no experience in writing sex scenes.**

**Get ready**** for the next chapter. I've been neglecting my other fanfic for this one but the feedback from you guys is what inspired me to put this out.**

**Review****, Follow and Favourite.**

**Drop**** a PM if you have any other questions.**


	3. Thrive

**Hello, Salut and whatever else you say.**

**This is a little late, but I tried to make it longer.**

**This fic is my primary focus for now so expect a few chapters in the coming weeks.**

**I have exams in a while but there's still a while to go until then so don't worry about it. I'll probably sneak in a few chapters.**

**Your feedback has been so overwhelmingly positive and I do appreciate all of your reviews**

**Here's the next chapter.**

**Hope you enjoy.**

**J'éspère que vous allez aimer ce chapitre**.

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"It was gold."

Clarke waited expectantly as she waited for the inevitable shout of dissent. It finally came up from one of the boys who hung with Murphy a lot.

"I guess the princess over here gets more special treatment, huh? Why is it always you?"

Octavia rolled her eyes and said,"Don't be daft Dax. We all got injected with powers. That means there was literally no special treatment and to be honest I'd want Clarke to have this gold injection over anyone else. She's been of the only ones that have been trying to organise us and make sure we survive. If anyone deserves it then it's her."

Nods of approval began to go around after Octavia's speech and Clarke was touched that so many of the delinquents were putting their faith in her.

That's not to say there weren't a few people who looked dissatisfied as there those who had disgusted looks on their faces and were muttering under their breath. It was mostly coming from the ones who'd removed their wristbands.

Clarke decided that it was probably time for everyone to get back to work said,"Listen guys. We're all in this together so we need to watch each other's backs. Whatever issues you've had with someone should be put on the back burner if you want us to survive down here. "

Clarke's eyes met those of Wells and she smiled and nodded at him before she shared one last piece of news as she felt it was important that everyone understood the gravity of their situation.

"The Ark is dying."

Finn turned towards Clarke and was so surprised he phased through the part of the dropship he was leaning against, but he regained control and said ,"What did you just say?"

Clarke nodded and said," It's an extremely large part of the reason we were sent down. My dad got floated and I got arrested for wanting to tell the truth to the citizens of the Ark. I think that the Ark has maybe three weeks left maybe less if things are worse than I thought. We need to survive so our people can join us."

Bellamy scoffed and said,"Do you really want the Ark to come down here? It'd just be you guys getting the scraps while the upper class like princess over there would be living lavishly. The second they come down here it'll be back to rationing and executions. I say screw the Ark because as far as I'm concerned you guys are my people!"

Murphy's posse cheered and hollered at Bellamy's speech and there were a few more who seemed to have been swayed by the passionate speech.

Clarke interrupted the cheers and hollers and said,"If you take this wristbands off you're no better than Jaha because you'd be signing the death warrants of thousands of people. There are those who didn't ask to be born in the Ark and are also frowned upon by the upper echelons of the Ark. There are people who like all of us have lost someone thanks to the Capital Crime rule. Finally, there are kids on the Ark some barely out their mother's womb and you're willing to let all those people die?"

At the end of Clarke's speech she had turned towards Bellamy and she walked right up to him. The entire camp was silent which was why it was easy for everyone to hear the words uttered by Clarke in a low voice.

"You disgust me, Bellamy."

Clarke then stormed off and Finn seeing an opportunity to end this said,"Show's over folks. Get back to work. That wall ain't going to build itself."

The crowd scattered except and went to their various stations except for Octavia. She was shocked that her brother was capable of so easily deciding to forsake the rest of the Ark like it was nothing.

Octavia walked up to her brother who still stood at the ramp and said,"What's gotten into you? Bel, I know we owe the people of the Ark nothing, but that doesn't mean they don't deserve to live!"

Bellamy sighed and said"O, if the Ark comes down here and they find out I'm alive then I'm dead. Mom made me swear to always protect you and that's why I did what I had to do so I could protect you down here as well."

Octavia sighed and said,"I can take care of myself, Bel! I don't need you shadowing me and sending Murphy and his goons to follow me around. When are you going to let me live? "

Bellamy sighed and said,"You think I don't want to let you run loose. I don't want to run after you like a lost puppy, but I have to because it's what Mom would've wanted. So you can curse me and rage all you want, but we're both stuck in this as long as I have any say."

Octavia raised an eyebrow and said,"Stuck? Is that how you really feel about me? You're the only family I have left and you feel like you're stuck with me! "

Bellamy sighed and said,"You know what I meant... I didn't mean it that way. Why do you always have to overreact like this?"

Octavia sighed and said,"You know what Bellamy? Screw you. You can go play boss with your little gang of followers or try catching Clarke's shadow, but please don't involve me in the mess you call your life."

Octavia began to walk away, but her heart broke as she heard the words her brother said to her.

"You know what, O? It's fine you can run away and go do whatever the hell you want now. I. Don't. Care. Oh yeah and by the way my life only became a mess when you were born."

Octavia's head dropped lower before she ran towards the gate and slipped into the woods.

Bellamy sighed before punching the side of dropship. He let out a scream of pure frustration before walking to the meat station and he began to skin the deer in a bid to take his mind off the argument. He'd just had it didn't work.

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Clarke was back in her tent and she was just about to stand up and leave before a person's voice came from the other side of the veil.

"Hey Clarke. It's Wells can I come in?"

Clarke was a little surprised, but she said,"Yeah, come on in."

Wells took the invitation to enter and he simply stood across from Clarke who was sitting atop her sleeping bag. Wells knew he was pushing it as is, but he felt like he had to bring it up.

"Look Clarke–"

"I know Wells. I know that my mom got my dad floated."

Wells was surprised and said,"Did you get some freaky mind reader powers or something?"

Clarke laughed and dimly she realised it was the first time she'd laughed with Wells in at least a year. She'd always been so antagonistic towards him after her father got floated and even when in the Sky Box she'd never go down to any of his visits which were literally everyday.

It was, thus, with more than a little guilt and shame that she said,"Roma and Finn helped me see the real picture. They told me how they'd asked you about what happened and you'd been extremely evasive about it. It was Roma, though, that said I should give you a chance to explain because like I said we all need to be able to work together so we can survive."

Wells was silent for a while. He knew that Abby was the one who'd spoken to his father about the Ark's impending doom. However, he knew it would hurt Clarke less if she thought he was that got her father killed instead of her mother. Wells knew that he'd essentially been given a second chance at a friendship with Clarke and he decided being honest would be the best course of action. With that in mind, Wells told her everything.

Clarke was in turmoil as she heard the confirmation of her suspicions. She'd used the closest thing she had to a brother as a scapegoat for the death of her father.

On some level, she supposed she knew her mother was responsible. Her mother had often looked extremely uncomfortable whenever Clarke would bring up her anger for Wells during her mother's visits when Clarke was in the Sky Box.

There were times where her mother would try to convince her that Wells only did what he thought was best and that he didn't plan on getting her father floated .

It was only now that Clarke realised that her mother was essentially replacing Wells whenever the subject was brought up.

Wells smiled and said,"I'm really sorry for lying to you about this Clarke. It's just–"

"Don't apologise Wells,"said Clarke as she pulled him into a hug and said,"You've stood by me for all these years even though I've acted like such a bitch. I'm really sorry I was too caught up in everything that happened."

Wells pulled out of the hug and said,"Look Clarke. I've already forgiven you. I know that you were hurting and when people are hurt they oftentimes do things they'll regret. It's all in the past now okay?"

Clarke nodded and wiped the tears that she felt gathering at her eyes and said,"Thanks Wells."

Wells nodded and he gave Clarke one last hug and made to leave. As he was at the exit of her he said,"You know Monroe is pretty good at wood carving. Shee made a pretty decent gnome today from a log. We should ask her to make us some chess pieces and we can play a few games."

Clarke smiled and said,"You're on. I'll ask her as soon as I can. I hope you're ready to lose."

Wells rolled his eyes and said,"Clarke, you might be able to move things with your mind now, but I could still beat you easily."

Wells dodged the pillow Clarke threw at him and left while laughing. His good mood didn't last though as he saw Bellamy come up to him.

"Hey Chancellor,"said Bellamy as he reached Wells,"We'll need to set up a guard system and I've been rounding up volunteers. Do you wanna help?"

Wells was a bit irritated at the nickname, but he brushed it off and said,"Yeah. I guess I'll help. We should probably ask Clarke, Finn and Roma to help out as well. Their powers would probably come in handy."

Bellamy nodded and said,"Good idea. I'll ask them myself. We'll begin the rounds in the woods at sundown so until then you can do what you want. We'll be camping out so you might want to prepare for a rough night."

Wells nodded and left. Bellamy sighed and was about to leave when he heard someone call his name. He turned and was surprised to see Finn walking to him.

"You didn't happen to send your sister out on a hunt right?" said Finn as he approached Bellamy,"Cyrus just told me she ran right out the gate looking like she wanted to kill something."

Bellamy scoffed and said,"I wouldn't worry about Octavia. She's perfectly capable of handling herself so I don't need to follow up on every single thing she does."

Finn sighed and said,"Look Bellamy. You and I don't really agree on a lot of things, but trust me when I say this. You and Octavia are some of the luckiest people down here. None of us know what's it like to have siblings, but trust me when I say a lot of us would love nothing more than to have a sibling. I know that you must have done something pretty shady to get down here, but that doesn't matter right now. The fact you were willing to follow Octavia to what could have been a deathtrap shows me how much you must care for her."

Bellamy closed his eyes as he processed the words Finn was saying.

"Look I won't act like I've know you guys particularly well, but I do think the last thing either of you would want is to let a little argument ruin your bond. She probably hasn't had some speak to her about it yet so I'd suggest letting her cool off for a bit and then we can go look for her."

Bellamy nodded and said,"You're right. I probably shouldn't have reacted the way I did. You're just a bag full of surprises aren't you Spacewalker?"

Finn smiled and said,"What can I say? I'm wiser than I look."

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The Ark~Lockup

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Abby's mind was in utter turmoil. The past few days' events had taken a toll and at times she had felt like screaming in frustration.

Jaha's orders to inject the 100 with some sort of genetic enhancer had been the least stressful part of her day. The look of confusion on Clarke's face had weighed deep in her mind. Jaha had assured her that the sole golden solution that Clarke had been injected with was only reliable in her hands.

The ship had launched and disengaged without issue and there had been nothing to report at first.

First of all, it had been discovered that the Ark had lost communication with the dropship and that there had been an apparent glitch that had caused the dropship to veer off course from Mount Weather.

They had landed safely –except for two of the 100 – and that had been the last of the good news.

Abby had been told that Thelonious had been shot by Bellamy Blake while the Chancellor was in the Keep returning the leftover vials of the Darwin nanobots.

The guards outside the room had been knocked out and one had even been stripped of his uniform. The older Blake sibling had apparently done all of this to sneak aboard the dropship.

Abby had been called to operate on Thelonious and she had been forced to use more than what she was allowed to save Jaha's life.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, her crime had only been discovered later on by Kane. The very man who she had hoped to prevent from becoming Chancellor.

It was fortunate because she had been there when the wristbands of some of the 100 had stopped transmitting. Thus, she had been able to explain that they were not dying of radiation.

It was also unfortunate because she had been told that she was to be floated for saving Jaha and to add insult to injury she was forced into the very cell that Clarke had been in.

She had no idea how Clarke hadn't lost her mind in this place. The walls felt like they were closing in on her and the only thing that could keep her mind off her impending death was looking at the intricate drawings that Clarke had sketched. It reminded her of the time before she was aware of the impending doom of the Ark.

A time before she had gotten her husband killed and daughter imprisoned.

It was especially heartbreaking for Abby to realise that Wells had born the brunt of Clarke's hatred to protect the both of them from the reality of what had actually happened and that she might never get the chance to admit to her crimes.

The door to the cell opened and there stood Commander Shumway who was accompanied by Kane. Abby wordlessly stood and followed them to the site of her execution.

She was surprised to see that Callie, Jackson and Sinclair had come along to witness her death. She gave a tight hug to all three before leaving some parting words to Sinclair who had been a close friend of Jake's .

"Sinclair,"said Abby as she was guided into the airlock and given a chance to say her last few words,"You should try to figure out a way to reverse engineer the wristbands and find a way to communicate with the 100."

The automatic doors to the airlock were closed and Kane then said,"I'm very sorry for this Abby. There is no other way."

Abby glared at Kane and said,"There always is another way."

Abby held her glare and remained calm even as Kane gave the order to kill her. She took a deep breath in as Kane was about to press the button, but was surprised to hear a familiar, but weak voice come from the passage that led to the airlock.

"Stop!"said Thelonious Jaha as he appeared still in a gown and walking very unsteadily,"Abigail Griffin has officially been pardoned by word of the Chancellor."

Abby despite herself let out a sigh of relief as she heard Jaha's words before she straightened her posture.

There was clearly still work to do.

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"Let me get this straight,"said a brown haired girl with tanned skin as she stood with Abby in one of the rooms of the Ark that were off limits,"The council is planning to execute 320 people within a week's time unless you somehow prove to them that the 100 are alive and the Earth is habitable?"

Abby looked at Raven Reyes– the best Zero Gravity mechanic on the Ark– and said,"Yes. There had been an earlier vote, but there had been a deadlock with the Chancellor having abstained and the vote has been delayed by a week. Thus, I need you to fix this up and I'll head to Earth before radioing in to the Ark."

Raven looked at the ancient dropship that Abby was referring to and said,"This piece of shit? I guess I can do that, but there's one more thing I'll need from you before I accept... I'm coming with you to the Earth. Take it or leave it."

Abby nodded and said,"That's fine, but I need you to start working now. I'll write you down as sick so you don't need to head to work."

Raven nodded and set down the box of tools she brought with her and was about to get down to work before she heard Abby's last question.

"Why do you want to go to Earth anyways? Aren't there people aboard who'd miss you?"

Raven pondered the question before she looked down at her necklace which had a pendant of a raven and said,"My whole reason for living is on Earth. There's nothing left for me here otherwise without him."

Abby smiled and said,"I guess we're more alike than I thought."

Raven gave Abby a smile and said,"You should probably head to Medical. I'm sure there are people who need your help and I work best alone so come back in a few hours and I'll give you an update."

Abby smiled at Raven before saying,"You're right. Thank you for your help Raven."

Raven chuckled dryly,"Don't thank me yet. I may be a genius, but this pile of trash might not work so let's save that for later,okay?"

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It was almost Unity Day and also unbeknownst to the majority of the Ark the day on which the council would vote to either approve or reject the Population Reduction Act.

Raven had been working overtime to restore the ancient dropship and she only needed a pressure regulator. Raven had told Abby that she'd already tried to get one from Nygel, but she had been unsuccessful.

It was why Abby was on the way to Medical so she could get morphine to trade for a pressure regulator. Abby turned around a corner and she was surprised to see Diana Sydney waiting for her outside of Medical.

"Abby,"said Diana as she extended her hand for a handshake that Abby returned,"I've been looking for you."

Abby was surprised to see the former Chancellor and was even more shocked to find out Diana was looking for her personally.

"What can I do for you Diana?"said Abby curiously.

Diana fixed Abby with a strange before she said,"Let's go to my quarters. I imagine you'd want to have this conversation in a more private location."

The two ladies walked in a rather tense silence before they reached Diana's room. Diana invited her to sit at her couch and once they were both settled she spoke.

"I know about your little secret in Mech Station."

Abby was barely able to keep her composure and said,"I'm not sure what you're talking about."

Diana sent a faux shocked look before saying,"Oh and I suppose you and that Zero-G mechanic have been spending the past few days eating tea and biscuits for hours on end."

Abby sighed and said,"What do you want Diana? If you wanted me dead you wouldn't have bothered coming to me with this knowledge."

Diana smiled and said,"I see we're finally getting down to business. You see Abby I want you in my corner. You may not know it, but these past few days where you've been helping everyone with their pulmonary toxicity has elevated beyond everyone. You're essentially a celebrity."

Abby was suspicious of what was on offer and said guardedly,"I was just doing my job. It's simply the life I signed up for and if people want to idolise me for it then it doesn't faze me. Also, what do you mean by 'your corner'?"

Diana smiled and said,"You see Abby that humbleness you've got going for you really endears you to everyone. The general populace trust you and that's why I need you to second my bid for a vote of no confidence in Jaha."

This time Abby could not keep her composure and she said angrily,"Excuse me? You want me to help you rob Jaha of his position? You know that's treason at best and it'll only end with the two of us waiting to be floated."

Diana smiled and said,"Perhaps, but I must say for a member of the council you clearly don't know the Ark Charter that well. My grandmother along with the heads of the other stations added a clause which said that if there is irrefutable evidence that the Chancellor withholds or hides information that is deemed important to the livelihood of the citizens of the Ark then the council is to vote on whether or not the Chancellor should remain in power."

Abby raised an eyebrow and said,"You do know that I'm only one part of the Council, right? You'd still need to convince the others and I can tell you now that Kane would go against you immediately."

Diana smiled and said,"Yes, don't take me for a fool. You're not the first councillor I've approached on this and I think you'd be surprised how many people are upset that Jaha not only sent the prisoners to Earth, but also kept the secret of the degradation of the Ark private. I don't think I need to mention Kane's idea. What did he call it? The Population Reduction Act? I don't think Thelonious would survive the day if this were to be leaked."

This was worse than Abby thought. She hadn't even bothered with the possibility that other people would discover all of the dirty secrets that the council had tried to keep a tight leash on.

She knew she was in between a rock and hard place and she needed to remain calm because if she made the wrong step she'd either be responsible for overthrowing Jaha or be floated for planning to steal an escape pod.

The decision wasn't hard to make.

"What do you want me to do?"said Abby seriously as she stared unflinchingly into Diana's eyes.

"For now? There is only one thing I can tell you and that's that I'm thinking bigger than just the Ark and I'll need you and that prodigious Zero Gravity mechanic to further my ambition. My plan will only be set in motion on Unification Day. I knew you'd see things my way though I must say I didn't expect you to agree so readily. I suppose you still have some leftover hatred for Thelonious after he floated Jake."

Abby's gaze turned cold and as she stood to leave said,"Is that all?"

Diana held her wrist and said,"No. I understand that you might not fully trust me and might want to expose me so as a show of faith I have a few gifts."

Diana stood and she reached into one of her drawers before throwing Abby something. Abby looked at the strange device before she recognised it as a pressure regulator.

"You should be glad that Nygel is in my corner because otherwise she was going to expose Raven to the Council. That's just to make sure Raven gets down there safely and radioes back whether or not it's safe,"said Diana before she retrieved a briefcase with the initials DS on it.

"I trust you know what these are?"said Diana lightly as she held up two vials.

Two vials with a familiar, silvery solution in it.

"It's a shame your daughter took the only Novus series injection. My grandmother was exceedingly proud of it. She'd often say that it was a combination of her life's work in her journals and how she wishes she'd been able to take it. Did you know she kept working on it until her death? It was a sad death too. It was as though her body just gave up on her."said Diana glibly.

"You want me to take two of those, but why? Also, I thought Bellamy Blake stole those."said Abby as she hesitantly looked at the vials that she'd been ordered to inject into the delinquents.

"Abby, trust me the less questions you ask the smoother our whole partnership will be,"said Diana sharply,"As the one who injected these into the delinquents. I'm sure you are familiar with them, but allow me to give you a demonstration."

Diana held her hand up and to Abby's amazement a ball of water began to form above her hand. The sphere was then changed into a pyramid then a cube and even a model of the Ark before it turned to steam.

"Hydrokinesis,"said Diana,"That's what I've been gifted with. I suppose it makes sense. I believe I am always willing to adapt, change and prepare for any situation just like water. The question is are you willing to adapt?"

Abby was silent for a few minutes before she nodded. She carefully took the vials and pocketed them. She turned to leave and Diana didn't say a word until she was at the door.

"Abby, you should know that as much as water flows and adapts. It also crushes and drown those that are foolish enough to oppose it. So please, excuse the pun, but do tread lightly."

Abby didn't look back, but felt a tremor of fear shoot through her as she left.

Raven would need to hurry up and install this damn pressure regulator. The sooner she could leave and radio in the better it would be.

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Mecha Station

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"Hey Abby," said Raven as the person in question entered the room,"Did you get that pressure regulator?"

Raven looked at Abby and noticed how she seemed to be jittery and said,"What's wrong? You're shaking like Sinclair after he took a few volts of electricity from a battery."

Abby shook her head and said,"I did get the pressure regulator and I'll need you to install as quick as possible before you disengage and head for Earth. I won't be joining you unfortunately."

Raven raised an eyebrow and said,"Don't tell me you're getting scared on me. I mean yeah it'll be a tight squeeze, but mean I fixed this baby up real good. We'll be on the Earth before the Ark even knows we're missing."

Abby threw the pressure regulator at Raven who immediately began installing it and said,"There's been a few complications. Unfortunately, I won't be able to make it because there's something wrong within the Ark and I might be the only person who can stop it."

Raven was installing the pressure regulator and said,"That sounds serious. Does it have to do with how you got a brand new pressure regulator? I hope you didn't do what Nygel told me to because this bad boy over here will have me ready to leave in half an hour."

Abby nodded and said,"Yes it does.Tell me Raven. How much do you know about the First Chancellor?"

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Clarke sighed as she reflected the events of the past few days. Wells had been murdered by a young girl called Charlotte while on guard duty with her.

Apparently, she had misunderstood the advice Bellamy had tried to give her and she ended up killing Wells because she couldn't kill Jaha.

To make matters worse, it had appeared as though Murphy had done the deed since his hatred for Wells was well-known and Charlotte had also used his weapon.

The entire camp had tried to beat up Murphy, but Clarke had been able to push all of them back with a force field. Charlotte admitted the truth when she saw the bloodied and bruised body of Murphy.

Charlotte had in the end been exiled, but Murphy in a fit of rage had tried to kill one of the boys– a frequent victim of Murphy– that had thrown the first few punches.

In the end, Murphy had very nearly killed him because apparently the experience of nearly getting beaten to death had unlocked Murphy's powers and his enhanced strength had left the poor boy in a sorry state.

It wasn't known what Murphy's powers other than the enhanced physical capabilities were, but there were no doubts as to whether or not he had them when he broke Paul's femur with one kick.

A surefire sign of the syringe having been activated and assimilated by the body.

In the end , Paul had been a mess and he had begged for Clarke to put him out his misery. His legs and arms were damaged beyond repair and Paul had also said he couldn't feel anything below his neck.

Clarke had chosen the least painful and quickest way she knew. She had slipped a knife into Paul's carotid artery and hummed softly as he bled out in front of her.

It had been a very horrifying experience and it had taken the gloss off of being on Earth.

As sickening as it was to say, but this traumatic experience had ended up causing some of the other delinquents to begin manifesting their powers.

In a strange twist, not all of the powers were useful for fighting, but that's not to say they were useless. For example, Monty had gotten the ability to grow and even alter any plant, vegetable or fruit of his choosing. The weird thing was that the plant didn't necessarily have to exist.

Monty's stock amongst the group had grown when he'd made apples that tasted like chocolate. Of course, due to them being amongst what was essentially the most irresponsible people on the Ark it wasn't long before Monty was offered various types of favours to grow certain plants.

Luckily, Clarke had managed to cut down on it or else the pungent smell of marijuana would be ever present in the camp.

Recreational drug creation aside, there were others who received powers that were especially useful for combat.

Jasper, for example, had received the ability to shoot laser beams from his eyes. Clarke smiled as she recalled a hilarious event involving Jasper and Octavia.

It had been difficult for him to explain why he'd shot Octavia in the butt when she had bent over. Bellamy had not been impressed at all and had given Jasper extra guard duty.

Luckily, Octavia hadn't been hurt as the powers she'd received (much to Bellamy's dismay) were directly suited for combat and oftentimes activated when she wasn't paying attention.

Octavia's powers had been a revelation to the delinquents as everyone thought that the enhanced physical capabilities were a given along with one more power, but in Octavia's case she hadn't received any physical enhancements.

She had instead gotten two powers. One,the one that saved her from Jasper's smoldering gaze, was the ability to transform into a hard crystalline material. The beam had bounced back at Jasper and burnt a hole in his shirt.

It appeared to have the same characteristics as diamond and could be activated by Octavia's own body without her knowing. It was thus in that sense rather similar to the intangibility of Finn.

The second power she had received was–

"What are you thinking about?"

Clarke jumped and nearly punched the source of the voice, but she had managed to stop when she recognised it.

A scared Octavia appeared from thin air encased in crystal as she stared down the business end of Clarke's fist. It was already known that Clarke's injection was different from the others and one of the ways this was apparent was that Clarke's strength and speed far outstripped the rest of the other delinquents.

She had even been able to pick up the dropship and move it. If that didn't scream danger to someone then they may have had a bit too much of Monty's magic weed.

"Sorry Clarke," said Octavia as she gently tried to put down Clarke's fist and deactivated her diamond armour,"I was just trying to practice sneaking around like you and Bell said I should."

"It's okay,"said Clarke as she looked at the rebellious Blake sibling. The two had patched things up after Finn had apparently spoken to Bellamy about it.

Finn had been a rock for Clarke following Wells' death and she felt as though they had gotten closer. Truthfully, Clarke had recognised that Finn was interested in her, but she had firmly rebuffed all of his advances.

She wasn't looking for a relationship now and while there was some degree of attraction between them Clarke never acted on those feelings. The 100 were surrounded by an unknown amount of Grounders and Clarke had to do her best to stay focused and sharp. It was why she was out in the woods now. She was on guard duty since she was the best fighter they currently had and yet Octavia had gotten the drop on her.

She probably needed to pay more attention to detail.

She'd been with Roma again a few times, but she had stopped once it became clear to Clarke that Roma was developing feelings for her.

The slight touches when passing by and the longing looks whenever she thought Clarke wasn't looking were obvious enough indicators.

Clarke liked them both, but she couldn't give them all of herself like they deserved until the Ark came down.

That's if they came down.

Yesterday, their wristbands had all failed when Monty had tried to contact the Ark, but it had instead shorted all of the wristbands.

It had been a gutting blow, but she was sure the Ark would find a way to survive even if they didn't come down. She just had to have faith.

It was approaching midnight and Octavia and Clarke were sitting in silence before Octavia said,"You know, Clarke. I used to think that you were some stuckup, vapid and self-absorbed bitch, but the way you've looked after us has me thinking that maybe you're not so bad."

Clarke snorted,"Wow, really? Tell me how you really feel."

Octavia pouted and Clarke smiled before she said,"If I'm being honest, I expected you to be a pure basket case considering everything,but you're really well adjusted actually. However, I do think that you give your brother a very hard time. He's just trying to look out for you and he's not really a bad guy. I mean despite not having any powers he hasn't complained about it and everyone still respects him. So please don't give him such a hard time."

Clarke and Bellamy had come to a tentative understanding and while Clarke wouldn't say she trusted the fake guard she knew he had all of their best interests at heart and that was enough for her.

"I guess you're right,"said Octavia,"It's just he's so stubborn sometimes it's so annoying..."

Clarke's smile widened and she couldn't resist the quip that followed,"It must be a Blake thing."

Octavia was about to respond, but Clarke interupted her and pointed to the sky.

"Is that what I think it is?"

Octavia looked to where Clarke was pointing and said,"A shooting star? Don't tell me you want to make a wish?"

Clarke looked confused and said,"Make a wish? What– That's not important. It's not a shooting star. That's a dropship from the Ark! There must know we're alive. I need to run over there–"

"I don't think that's a good idea,"said Octavia,"If we saw it then that means everyone else who's up now did too which by the way includes the Grounders that tried to kill you!"

Clarke calmed down and said,"You're right. Tell everyone that the Ark sent another dropship and that you, me and Finn will head out towards it. We'll need Bellamy, Roma and Jasper here to keep the peace."

"Yes ma'am!"

Octavia dodged the rock Clarke had thrown at her before leaving. Neither of them knew that Bellamy had already seen the dropship and that he was en route to intercept it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning was filled with gloomy skies and a small amount of rain.

Clarke and Finn were waiting at the gates for Octavia before she suddenly came running and said,"Bellamy's gone! I think he went to intercept the dropship!"

Clarke sighed and said,"I swear it's one step forward and then three steps backwards with your brother. Finn, Octavia I'll carry you guys. We need to get there before Bellamy and we have no idea how long ago he left. Please don't puke."

Finn and Octavia were barely able to blinked before they felt Clarke throw them over her shoulders like they were a sack of potatoes.

"Princess,"said Finn from his position on Clarke's shoulder,"Is this really the only way that you could–"

Whatever Finn was going to say was lost to the wind as Clarke raced off in the direction she saw the dropship land.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Bellamy let out a sigh of relief as he saw the escape pod. It had been a trying journey as he had to avoid the patrols of the 100 and avoid detection from whatever else was there.

He opened the door and was surprised to see a girl who seemed to have passed out from the landing and she had a small bruise on her head.

He surveyed the pod and found his prize. Bellamy took out the radio and was about to leave when he saw a small box cradled in the girl's hand.

Curiosity got the better of him and he took the box out. He shielded it from the intensifying rain using his body and opened it.

A wide smile spread across his face as he saw a syringe with a silver solution in it.

Bellamy looked back to the unconscious girl and said,"Thanks for these."

Bellamy closed the door and ran to the nearest river that he could find. He chucked the radio in and then looked at the syringe he held in his hand.

Bellamy pulled the plunger back and with no hesitation whatsoever he injected himself with the solution.

Bellamy sighed as he felt no different than before. He stood and went on his way back to camp.

He froze suddenly as he realised that the person on board the pod might know that he killed Jaha. A cold feeling permeated Bellamy as he imagined the aftermath of that coming to light.

It was with a heavy heart that Bellamy turned towards the direction of the pod and began marching through the veritable downpour.

He could not let anyone find out what happened on the Ark no matter what.

If Bellamy had been a bit more observant then perhaps he would have seen the eyes watching him from the treeline.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Clarke, Finn and Octavia arrived in the landing zone of the dropship and they were glad to see that it appeared unopened.

Clarke put them down and Octavia took the chance to say,"It's a good thing we made it here on time even though somebody decided to be a scaredy cat."

Clarke felt the look from Octavia and said,"I know I could have gone faster, but that would have increased the chances of me slipping. So you should thank me since we didn't end up crashing into a tree."

"Yeah, yeah whatever,"said Octavia jokingly before she said,"This doesn't look like a supply drop."

"It's not,"said Clarke,"It's an escape pod. The Ark didn't send something down..."

"They sent someone down," said Finn before he looked at Clarke and said,"After you princess."

Clarke ignored the nickname and she opened the door. She was surprised to see a girl around her age and to Clarke's surprise the girl began to stir.

The girl's eyes opened and she let out a loud groan and said,"My head hurts. Stupid councilors with their stupid ideas."

Clarke felt her eyebrow lift at that, but she shook it off and gently prodded the girl,"Hey, are you okay? My name's–"

"Clarke. Clarke Griffin. Your mom showed me a picture of you. My name's Raven Reyes,"said Raven who seemed to have recovered from her daze upon seeing Clarke's face.

"My mom?"questioned Clarke as she felt both curiosity and anger bubble up inside her at the mention of mother, but she pushed the anger aside to focus on the moment.

Raven nodded and while she unstrapped the seat buckles said,"Yeah, the Council didn't fully believe the Earth was habitable because your wristbands kept failing so your mom was given a few days to prove that you guys were living."

Clarke sighed and gave a hand to Raven to help her out pod and said,"You can thank Bellamy for that."

Raven spun towards Clarke and said,"Bellamy Blake? The guy that shot Jaha?"

Clarke was surprised and said,"He did what?"

Unfortunately, Clarke didn't get an answer as Raven turned around and her eyes skimmed over Octavia before they settled on Finn.

"Raven?"

"Finn?"

Raven ran straight to Finn and pulled him into a deep kiss much to the surprise of Clarke and Octavia.

"Am I missing something here? I thought Spacewalker had a thing for you."said Octavia as she took in the scene before her.

Clarke shrugged and said,"That's not important right now. Your brother shot Councillor Jaha. That's why he ran here. He didn't want to chance that the Ark would come down."

Raven had overheard their conversation and said,"Are you guys sure Bellamy hasn't been here?"

Raven didn't wait for a response and she went back into the escape pod. Raven let out a curse before she kicked the side of her pod.

The metal crumpled right before everyone's eyes and Raven barely paid any attention to the shocked looks everyone sent her before she said,"That fucking dumbass stole my radio and Abby's syringe."

Clarke froze as she realised the implications of what Raven had just said. How had her mother gotten her hand on not, but two different silver solutions?

"You're telling me that Bellamy was here?"said Finn before he sighed,"That's just great news."

"You don't know the half of it," said Raven angrily,"We need to get that radio back ASAP. Where's Bellamy?"

"Speak of the devil," said Clarke as she spotted Bellamy at the crest of a hill and even from this far she could see the shock and horror on his face as he processed the scene in front of him.

The wind and rain began to pick up and Clarke paid no attention to this as she raced towards Bellamy before she threw him towards the pod.

Bellamy collided with a grunt and was about to speak before he felt a strong hand grip his collar.

Raven lifted the boy with one hand and said,"Where is the fucking radio?"

Bellamy smirked and said,"I don't know what your talking about. Maybe if you describe it–"

A crash sounded around as a lightning bolt struck the ground not far away and Clarke was amazed to see that Raven's eyes had turned solid white and looked like two thrumming, balls of lightning.

"Next time you lie,"said Raven slowly,"That one hits you. Where is the radio and the syringe."

"I chucked it in a rock pool west from here,"said Bellamy calmly which was at odds with how he felt on the inside looking at Raven's eyes.

Raven let him go and he fell to the ground before she said,"We need to hurry. The council is about to approve of a plan to kill at least 300 people on board the Ark to save some air and smartass over here might have just sealed their fate."

Finn walked up to a visibly distressed Raven and pulled her into a hug. Amazingly, the weather began to dial down before soon the sun was shining high in the sky again.

Finn looked at his girlfriend and said,"You got a shot too?"

Raven nodded and said,"Yeah. Abby gave me hers to keep before she injected me with another one she had before sending me to Earth alone. Apparently, there's a chance a mutiny might rise up on the Ark so she stayed behind to help prevent it."

The entire group –including Bellamy– were surprised to hear that and Clarke voiced what was on everyone's mind.

"How does she know about it?"

Raven looked at her and said as if speaking about the weather,"The ringleader extended an olive branch to her."

Clarke shook her and said,"We'll deal with that later. Bellamy, lead the way to the rock pool."

Bellamy shook his head and said,"I can't. If the Ark comes down here... I'm dead. A guard came to me and told me about you guys going to Earth. He gave me the uniform and gun and only wanted me to kill Jaha and he'd get me on the dropship. I did it for you, O. "

Octavia had been silent throughout and she simply glared at Bellamy before turning away.

Raven snorted and said,"Calm down. Jaha is still alive. You're a bad shot."

Clarke looked at Bellamy and said,"Relax. You heard Raven

Jaha is alive and I'm sure if you can give them the name of who gave you the gun then he'll pardon you."

Bellamy seemed mollified at Clarke's words and then walked to the front of the group and said,"I'll lead you to it."

Finn raised an eyebrow and said,"I thought you said it was west from here."

"I lied."

Raven scoffed before nudging Octavia,"Your brother is a real class act. You know that?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I found it!"said Clarke as she held up the soaked radio.

"Is it just me or do Clarke's powers just shit all over everyone else's?"said Raven as she'd just seen Clarke lift up all the water in the rock pool pick up the radio and then drop it back in.

"Yeah,"said Finn,"It's not just you."

Raven took the radio from Clarke before she said,"This will probably take the whole day to dry out and see if it's salvageable. There's no way we can contact them."

Clarke was about to let out a sigh of frustration before she heard Raven say,"Actually, we don't need them to radio in. We just have to tell them we're here."

Clarke was about to speak, but the whistle of something flying through the air had her on guard and she created a dome of energy around the entire group.

Three separate spears collided with the dome and slid down to the ground. Clarke traced their sources and was surprised to see the Grounder that she'd knocked unconscious and broken the arms of except he looked as fresh as a daisy and he had two new friends with him.

"Please tell me these guys are with you?"said Raven as she took in the sight of the three warriors. Clarke shook her head no and Raven let out an exasperated sigh.

"Fantastic. We're about to get killed by a bunch of people who survived nuclear weapons."

Clarke looked at Finn and said,"Get Raven out of here. We need her to work on whatever signal she's planning on."

Finn nodded and picked Raven up before going intangible and running with her at high speeds. The Grounders launched a few arrows at him and Raven, but they went straight through them without causing any harm.

The shouts of anger and surprise that Raven let out at being shot at would normally have been humorous, but this wasn't the time for jokes.

"Bellamy,"said Clarke as she still held up her some,"You got any bullets left in that gun?"

Bellamy nodded and she said,"They aren't Jaha so please don't miss. I don't want to have to explain how you died to everyone else."

Octavia encased herself in her crystal armour and held her hands out to one of the Grounders and said,"I've got ugly."

Clarke smiled and said,"Could you be a bit more specific?"

The Grounders seemed to react negatively to this and Bellamy noticed this and said,"They understand us."

Clarke nodded and said,"I don't know. I did break the other guy's arms, but let me try for something more permanent."

In a flash, Clarke dropped her dome and shot a blast of energy at the ringleader. It hit him in the stomach and sent him flying, but Clarke wasn't convinced he was down and said,"I'm going after him. "

She sped off and suddenly it was Octavia and Bellamy standing across from the other two.

"Look O–"

"Don't get in my way,"said Octavia before she held up her hand and shot shards of crystal at one of the Grounders. The shards ripped into the guy's arm and Octavia smiled before she closed the distance down and tried to subdue the handicapped Grounder.

Bellamy sighed and began firing shots at the other Grounder, but to his dismay he had almost the same level of speed as Monty and he missed all of his shots.

Perhaps in another universe that might have bode well for Bellamy.

The Grounder stopped his retreat and rushed at Bellamy at speeds that the deer he'd seen on Earth would be proud to reach.

"Oh fuck me,"said Bellamy as he crossed his arms and felt a punch hit him and send him flying.

How did this guy get so fast? They're on the ground so there's no way they should have any sort of powers whatsoever.

The pain in his arms told him otherwise though.

He skidded across the ground and eventually rolled to a stop. His arms were stinging especially his left one. It hurt to move and Bellamy dimly realised he had fractured it.

The Grounder withdrew his sword and ran straight at Bellamy clearly going for the kill.

Bellamy felt like closing his eyes and accepting it, but he fought against the feeling and felt a rush of peer flow through him.

He raises his good hand and just as the Grounder was five metres away he froze. Bellamy kept his hand up and was surprised to hear the gargling noises being emitted.

He blinked as he realised what happened.

"Thank you Raven."

He looked over at his sister and was surprised to see her sitting on top of her unconscious opponent and he turned back to his own opponent saying,"This one's for Atom."

Bellamy lifted his arm up and watched as the Grounder was sent flying up into the air. He hung there briefly before Bellamy brought his arm back down.

The Grounder let out a shriek of terror as he descended back to ground level before a massive spout of water erupted as he hit the rock pool at breakneck speed.

The cascade of water died down and after a few seconds the broken and clearly dead body of the Grounder came bobbing up. It floated for a few more moments before it disappeared

Bellamy let out a harsh sigh as he watched it disappear and began to stagger towards Octavia.

He sat down in front of her and even though she refused to even look at him he was happy to see that she could take care of herself.

Octavia had suffered no injuries and looked like she'd barely done any exercise.

"O," rasped Bellamy as he struggled with the pain of his arm,"I'm really, really sorry. I keep justifying what I do as a way to protect you, but..."

Octavia looked at her brother and was surprised to see the proud smile on his face and she looked away, but couldn't quite hide her smile as he finished his sentence.

"But now I know you definitely don't need any protection from me now?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Clarke was annoyed. She'd put this guy through hell and he had shrugged everything off like it was nothing and it was starting to creep her out.

The worst part of all this was that the Grounders had powers. She didn't even understand how this was possible, but she needed to tell the others just what it was they were facing.

Case in point, Clarke had just dropped a few trees on him and she heard his bones break. She took them off and lo and behold she'd watch as his body recovered from whatever damage she did.

Clarke was nearing her boiling point and she felt a burning feeling shoot through her and for the umpteenth time she raised her hands towards him.

This time though Clarke was surprised when fire shot out her hands and set the man on fire. His screams were reaching crazy levels and she lowered her arms.

The flames continued to eat at him and eventually he stopped moving. There were still small flames here and there, but he was not moving.

Clarke looked at her hands and said,"That's new..."

She thought that the super speed and strength that she had –which far outstripped the others– was the only perk of the golden solution.

Clarke sighed and said,"I'll figure this out later."

Clarke began to leave, but froze when she saw something that made her want to scream in terror.

The man had stood up and even now Clarke saw the third degree burns she'd inflicted on him begin to rapidly heal. The man rushed towards her and Clarke again felt a new rush of power flow through her, but this time she felt like she was a passenger in her own body.

With a flick of her wrists, the ground around the man rose up and encased him in a tomb of stone. Clarke approached the man and she reached for the man's forehead. The man bit her hand and yet Clarke was undeterred.

As soon as she made contact, she could perceive what was a string of energy that was intricately woven into what she detected as the man's soul.

She was able to 'reach out' in a strange, metaphysical sense and she ripped the string free. As soon as she'd done that, Clarke let out a harsh breath as she felt like she was in full control of her body.

It was with equal parts horror and fascination that Clarke heard the man howl as his wounds stopped healing. The burns that littered his face now stuck an angry red.

Clarke took a step back and raised her hands towards him. She idly noticed that the bite mark on her hand was fully healed.

She gave one last look at the whimpering man before saying,"Heal this."

A plume of white fire erupted from her hands and Clarke was just able to soldier on despite the howls of pain and she kept at it until the screaming stopped.

Clarke lowered her hands and she fell to her knees utterly exhausted. She dimly heard Bellamy and Octavia call her name, but they were drowned out by the voice she heard inside her head.

"I'm not going to do everything for you Clarke,"said the voice mockingly,"You'll need to do a lot better than the pitiful things you've achieved now. Your serum was much more than just a different colour. Stop _surviving_ and start _thriving_."

The voice was silent and Clarke allowed herself to close her eyes just as she felt who she was sure was Octavia catch her.

"O,"said Bellamy as he trudged up to her,"We need to get back to camp. The Grounders–"

Octavia nodded and said,"Yeah, I know."

Octavia threw the surprisingly light form of Clarke onto her back and said,"We aren't the only ones with powers."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Author Notes:Okay like I said this was meant to come out a bit earlier, but I extendes the length to make up for it.**

**I hope you like the powers I gave the delinquents. A few of them were Easter Eggs in a way and I'd like to see if you caught some of them.**

**A few changes to the Ark Mutiny storyline and the whole Charlotte thing.**

**Sorry for those who waited for Murphy's power to be revealed...that will come later.**

**Read, Review and Share.**

**Lire, Évaluer et Partager.**

**I saw I had a reader from France so I have an excuse to show off my pretty trashy French.**

**Au revoir et à bientôt**.


	4. Schemes

**Thanks for all the reviews. I'm really grateful for them all and please review some more. I really love to hear your guys' opinion on everything.**

**Also****, please tell me the pairing you expect and/or what powers you'd like to see for some characters that haven't been seen like Murphy, Lexa, Anya, Luna, Roan etc. **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Clarke awoke to the feeling of being carried and she was a little surprised to see that Octavia was the one carrying her.

She was about to speak, but Octavia beat her to the punch and said,"It's about time you woke up. Don't take this the wrong way, but you were starting to feel a little heavy."

Clarke smiled and got off Octavia's back. She stumbled a little, but she was able to steady herself.

"You okay?"said Bellamy who had been walking a little behind Octavia.

"Yeah,"said Clarke,"My legs just fell asleep. Did you guys take care of those guys?"

Octavia bidded and said,"I beat my guy easy enough,but Mr Tough Guy over there hurt himself before he won."

Clarke whirled towards Bellamy and said,"You got hurt? What is it?"

Bellamy sighed and said,"It's nothing too serious. "

Clarke wasn't having it and she noticed the bruised arm that Bellamy's short sleeved shirt didn't hide and said,"Really? Sorry to break it you, but a fractured arm is serious. Let me have a look at it."

Bellamy wordlessly nodded and allowed Clarke to examine his arm. Clarke prodded the area around the bruise noting when Bellamy would flinch whenever she pressed certain areas.

"You're lucky that it wasn't a break or else you'd be in a lot more pain. Don't think I can't tell how much this is hurting you."

Bellamy smiled reluctantly and said,"Are you done? We need to hurry back to camp."

Bellamy's words fell on deaf ears however as Clarke was still staring at his arm. He was about to speak again when he saw her lift her hand again, but this time she placed it just above the location of the fracture.

A soft, green light emanated from her hand and Clarke slowly brought her hand into contact with Bellamy's arm.

Bellamy and Octavia were mystified by these turn of events and to Bellamy's further amazement the pain he was expecting from the contact didn't appear. In fact, a soothing feeling began to spread throughout his body and all too soon the feeling disappeared as Clark removed her hand.

Bellamy looked at his arm and was surprised to see that it was back in perfect condition. Octavia also noticed and said,"So...mind telling us where you picked that up?"

Clarke nodded and said,"It awakened after my fight with that Grounder. It was after I burnt him in that rock prison."

Octavia walked closer to Clarke and said,"You mean that burnt pile of rock was you? We just thought that it was the Grounder you faced so you turned him into ashes? "

"Octavia,"said Bellamy warningly. He wasn't sure how Clarke felt about killing that guy and the last thing they all needed was Clarke not being at 100%.

"It's fine Bellamy,"said Clarke before she turned towards the sky as if in deep thought.

She saw that it was around dusk and she was amazed at how long Octavia had managed to carry her. They were probably only a few miles out from camp.

"I gained the ability to control fire and earth during my battle with him."

Octavia felt her eyebrows raise of their own accord and she said,"I thought you already activated your powers? You're telling me that the super speed and super strength far beyond everyone else isn't the only side effect of the gold injection?"

Clarke nodded and Octavia sighed and said,"I also thought so, but the thing is I beat him before they activated."

Octavia's face scrunched in confusion and she said disgustedly,"What are you talking about? If you beat him why did you end up burning him to death?"

Clarke didn't flinch at Octavia's harsh tone and she said neutrally,"I beat him a lot of times. He just kept standing back up. The first blast that you guys saw there sent him through a tree and when I got there he had a cracked skull and broken neck."

Clarke paused and Bellamy sighed impatiently and he was about to tell Clarke to get to the point, but she continued speaking before he could even say a word.

"First it was his skull. It just moved back into place on it's own,"said Clarke as she didn't notice the horrified looks on the faces of the two siblings,"His neck then just snapped back into place and he charged me at as if he hadn't just suffered crippling if not lethal injuries. I was surprised, but thought nothing of it. I sent him through at least 10 trees. I held him up with my powers and caved in his chest with the the strongest punch I could manage. Hell I dropped a bunch of trees on him and he still shrugged it off."

Octavia had heard enough and she pulled Clarke into a hug and tried to shush her, but still Clarke continued her morbid story.

"The fire just appeared when I got frustrated. I burnt him and thought that was the end of it. He stood up again a-and it's like my body was on autopilot...I trapped him in that rock and the seen I reached for his face. He bit me deep, but that didn't stop me. Finally, both my hands were on his forehead a-and I-I.."said Clarke before she trailed off at the end.

Bellamy spoke up and voiced the question he knew he wasn't going to like the answer to.

"What happened next?"

Clarke didn't reply for a few seconds before she said simply,"I stole his power to heal. I only realised what I'd done when I saw his burn wounds had stopped healing and after I saw that... I burnt him to death."

Bellamy flinched at the harsh words, but before he could say anything Clarke said,"Look, they're more important things to consider than this. We need to get back to camp and see if we can help Raven with her plan and we also need to tell everyone that the Grounders have powers."

Bellamy and Octavia reluctantly agreed to drop the subject and Clarke stood up and said,"I'll carry you guys back to camp."

"Aren't you feeling tired? You did faint after your fight,"said Octavia worriedly.

Clarke shook her head and said,"I'll be fine. Let's move."

The two siblings were barely able to voice a complaint before they felt Clarke grab and speed off to camp.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

To say that things had gotten hectic after Raven escaped in the pod would be a major understatement.

It had happened shortly after Raven managed to decouple from the Ark and plot a course to Earth.

Abby had been on her way to check on the status of the 100 when she had heard a large commotion coming from the room.

She entered the room and was surprised to see the entire council, Sinclair and Jackson along with a few of the other Ark guards.

She had felt no small amount of trepidation when the room had fallen silent after they noticed that she had entered.

She looked towards Jaha who said,"Abby, I'm afraid you've run out of time."

She looked towards the screen that everybody was crowding around and she was horrified to see Clarke's picture spanning the entire screen.

It was red.

The rest of the 100 had died too which was the reason Jaha had opened with such an ominous statement.

The council had effectively revoked the time she had to prevent the Population Reduction Act and they were to vote on it immediately in the council's chambers.

Abby was in a conundrum she could tell them that she had launched an escape pod and that they should wait for Raven.

However, she knew that at best she'd be stripped of her status as a councillor and that would prevent her from voting against the culling.

Rumours had begun to swirl about the escape pod and somehow it had even come out that Raven had been the one to steal it.

There hadn't been any arrests, but Kane, amongst others, had been rather suspicious of her. No action was to be taken, though, until the Guard who was in charge of the investigation was able to discover who could have helped her.

It was why she was more than a little worried when she saw the Commander of the Guard enter and have a whispered conversation with Kane and then Jaha.

Jaha finally stepped away and took a tablet from the Guard which undoubtedly had the evidence which would incriminate her.

Abby wouldn't deny anything because she believed she was working in the best interests of the Ark and she would accept whatever punishment they deemed fit.

Dimly, she was aware that she wouldn't be executed. The number of cases of pulmonary toxicity were rising even now as they were in the chambers. As the foremost medical expert on the Ark, if she was floated then they'd essentially be killing the people they were tasked with saving.

This line of thinking gave Abby enough confidence to not react as Jaha went back to his seat and slammed his gavel which signified the beginning of the meeting.

"Honourable members of the council,"said Jaha as he began his address,"Make no mistake. The situation facing us is dire. It will require us to be united and be able to act as one."

Jaha paused before slamming his fist onto the table. The crack of Jaha's fist impacting the table caused everyone to flinch and straighten up in their chairs.

"I thought we were all aware of this which is why,"said Jaha as he continued to state at the council members,"It was extremely disappointing to find out from Commander Shumway that despite the situation facing us one of the council members went behind my back in an effort to prove their point."

Jaha paused and Abby, despite her earlier bluster, began to grow concerned at the level of anger that was seeping into Jaha's voice.

Jaha tapped a few buttons on tablet in his hand and to Abby's horror there was a video of Raven working on the escape pod. She wasn't sure when a camera had even been placed there as according to the map of the Ark all council members had there was no cameras in there at all.

"That is Raven Reyes,"said Thelonious as he paused the video,"A Zero-G mechanic and according to Sinclair the smartest person on this ship bar none or at least she was before she used that escape pod to get to Earth. You might be wondering what this has to do with any of you, but today I received when I received word from Kane that Nygel–a supposed smuggler– was asked by Ms Reyes to obtain a pressure regulator for her I ordered Shumway to investigate. Commander Shumway had just been showing me that one of our members has constantly been seen around Ms Reyes around Mecha Station and he was able to plant a camera within the room they seemed to frequent."

Suspicious looks began to fly around and Abby was doing her best to seem just as surprised by what was going on even though she felt as though a heavy weight had settled in her stomach.

She had gone through all this with the hope that the Earth was habitable and that Project Exodus would commence. It left a dark spot on her soul to acknowledge that she'd essentially doomed Raven if what the wristbands were transmitting was true.

Jaha pressed a button and the video continued until the door began to open and Abby closed her eyes as she heard the gasps of surprise.

"Councillor, what do you have to say for yourself? "said Jaha after the room calmed down.

Abby opened her eyes and was about to speak up, but she was surprised when she heard the voice of Councillor Fuji shout,"This is a disgrace! I have never even met that mechanic before!"

Abby looked towards the screen and she was gobsmacked to see Councillor Fuji speaking to Raven. The scary part was that the words he was saying were the exact words she had said to Raven.

It was very unsettling when she realised that this must be a part of Diana's plan. She didn't understand what the game was here though and she wasn't sure how this was possible.

"Councillor Fuji, please save the little that is left of your dignity,"said Jaha as he motioned for the guards to take him out and said,"Councillor Fuji is hereby stripped of his rank as a councillor. This level of insubordination is cannot and will not be tolerated. I understand that you were simply acting in the Ark's best interest so you shall not be floated."

Richard Fuji was livid at these words and tried to lunge at Jaha, but Shumway hit him with an electrical baton and he fell unconscious.

Jaha waited for the commotion to die down and said,"It is clear that the plan to send the 100 to Earth has failed. The Population Reduction Act was at a stalemate and we had delayed the vote to today. A show of hands for those who refuse."

Abby was the only one who raised her hand in opposition and the matter was settled when all of the other council members voted for the Population Reduction Act.

The details were hashed out with Kane leading the discussion on how best to go through with it. It went mostly unheard by Abby who was unsure how to deal with everything.

Her daughter might be dead. She had condemned another girl just as young as Clarke to a slow death on Earth. Finally, she had kept quiet while an innocent man was stripped of his rank because of crimes he didn't commit.

Crimes she committed.

"The Population Reduction Act will go on as planned tonight. As Kane said it is essential that it appears to be an accident in order to keep the peace,"said Jaha before he said,"We need to elect a new council member so if anyone has any suggestions now would be a good time."

Abby left in a daze and ignored the calls of both Jaha and Kane as she made her way to Medical. She was sure the amount of cases were building up and she needed something to take her mind off of everything.

It probably wouldn't work though. The only thing she could do that could settle the heavy weight in her stomach was to release the video that Jake had made.

She only hoped that this was the right course of action. The fact that someone (probably Diana) had managed to frame another councillor for Abby's crimes made her skittish about the mess that she was embroiled in.

She could tell Thelonious or Kane about Diana and her plans to overthrow Jaha, but that would implicate Abby in the whole deal with Raven. That would definitely result in her being kicked off the council and she needed to stay on not only to hopefully curb whatever Diana was plan, but also to hopefully be amongst the first to hear from Raven who could hopefully clear the fog surrounding the supposed deaths of the 100.

Abby finally reached Medical and as she began to treat a young girl her mind thought of the most important reason she'd left Fuji to the wolves. She had to remain useful to Diana's ambition and wait for her turn to strike.

After all when one's gaze is on the skies it's hard to see what's right in front of you.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hey Raven!"shouted Jasper as he looked at the girl currently working on the last of the flares,"When are we gonna light these bad boys up!"

Raven sighed and said,"Can you relax? I need to get this last one right then we can speak. Why don't you go and get blown off by Octavia or something?"

Jasper grabbed his chest and said,"That's uncalled for. Anyways, she's doing perimeter duty and my shift is next so I'm not going to do that. Octavia is hot, but I'd rather not spend double the amount of time out there hoping she finally sees the light."

Raven stopped working on the flare to say,"Well, at least there's a brain behind those ugly goggles. Also, I'm sure Bellamy having powers now has nothing to do with you not following Octavia."

Jasper was about to retort, but was cut off by Raven who stood up and said,"Okay, guys the flares are ready. The Ark is in a geosynchronous orbit with the Earth directly above us so we don't need to worry about them being on the wrong side of the planet. We just need to make sure these bad boys are ready to go."

One of the other delinquents spoke up and said,"In case you haven't noticed, there are way too many clouds passing by so how the hell do you expect them to see these things?"

Raven looked up at the night sky and indeed there were many clouds passing by and the light from the stars and the moon were barely able to pierce through them.

Raven smiled and said,"Don't worry about that. I've got it covered. Anyways, has anyone seen Monty?"

"I think he's still working on the radio in the dropship. I'll take you to him. Why are you asking anyways? You do know Clarke banned us from eating Monty's weed apples, right?"said Jasper as he began to walk with Raven to the dropship.

"Weed apples?"said Raven with a confused look on her face. What the hell did Monty have to do with weed apples?What were weed apples anyways?

Jasper noticed her confusion and said,"That's his power. He can make any sort of plant he wants. I'm telling you I wish I had that... The other day Glass wanted some chocolate apples so she said she'd give Monty–"

"I get the idea,"groused Raven as she tried to put the image out of her mind. She tried to steer the conversation away from the odd direction it had taken and said,"We need to see how far done he is with the radio because I really don't know if the flares are going to work. So the sooner we can speak to them the better."

Raven ignored the amused look of Jasper before climbing up to the top level of the dropship. She found Monty still fiddling with the radio and he looked up at her and stopped what he was doing when he heard Raven close the hatch.

"Hey Monty. How's the radio going?"

Monty sighed and said,"It could be better. The radio took quite a bit of damage when you landed and after Bellamy threw it in that rock pool there was even more damage done to it. Luckily, everything is salvageable and I've scraped parts together from Clarke's wristband and this thing will be up and running by tomorrow afternoon."

"Tomorrow?"said Raven tiredly,"I've told you the council might go through with the Culling especially after you shorted out 10 more wristbands."

Monty sighed and said,"Ok I get it, but there's nothing more I can do. The radio is still waterlogged and the circuitry is pretty damaged so I'll only be able to fix it by the early afternoon if I push. "

"Okay it's fine,"said Raven as she ran her hand through her hair,"I'm sorry. I'm just so frustrated and overwhelmed by everything. I mean if that Bellamy idiot hadn't trashed the radio then I'm sure it'd be a lot easier and he stole Abby's injection too. I don't how Clarke puts up with him."

Monty smiled and said,"Bellamy is a bit of an ass, but his heart is in the right place and surprisingly him and Clarke work well together. If it weren't for those two we wouldn't be half as organised as we are now. "

Raven nodded and said,"The important thing is you need to get that thing running. I'll join you after we launch the flares and maybe we'll be speaking to the Ark a little earlier than expected."

"That's great. I could really use the help and the company. I've been alone up here since Clarke gave me her wristband and Finn was also here for a while, but I think he's gone on guard duty or something."

Raven smiled at the mention of her boyfriend, but it dimmed a little as she remembered that she'd noticed that something was a bit off about Finn. She'd done everything and put her life on the line to reach the ground and somehow she'd expected things between Finn and her to stay the same.

He'd just been a little distance and she'd be lying if she didn't admit to being jealous of the looks and subtle flirting that Finn tried with Clarke.

The whole day had been trying on Raven as she'd had to deal with almost everyone waxing lyrical about how cool and awesome Clarke was from almost everyone and it got old fast.

The funny thing about it though was that Raven knew Clarke wasn't even after the glory or anything. She was just trying to do the best for everyone else which made it really hard to get annoyed at her.

"Hey,"said Monty as he looked up from the radio,"Is it true Clarke unlocked new powers and beat another Grounder? That's pretty badass..."

Not impossible though.

Raven shrugged and said,"Yeah, she burnt one of them to ashes and apparently this was after dropping a few trees on him. Is she still busy letting off some steam?"

A large boom from outside the dropship cut off Monty's reply and Raven paused before saying,"I'll take that as a yes. Anyways, I'll see you later. Duty calls."

Monty gave a half-hearted wave before Raven opened the hatch door and climbed down the ladder. It was quiet for a few moments before Monty heard the sounds of someone climbing up the ladder.

Jasper peeked his head out from the ladder and said,"Dude, where'd you keep those apples? Thalia said she wanted the same deal Glass gave you."

Monty let out a groan and said,"Are you gonna run around and tell everyone about that? I told you that in secrecy."

Jasper continued undeterred and said,"Hey, I want a scarf too. It's not fair that Glass made you one for some apples. "

Monty smirked and said,"Oh really? And here I thought shooting laser beams from your eyes was cooler than growing stupid plants. You even gave yourself a nickname."

Jasper sighed and said,"Yeah, yeah. Laser beams are only cool for warming food and burning Grounders and your power shits all over mine...Now where are they?"

Monty reaches below the table he's working on and places a sack that appeared to be made from a repurposed shirt on the table. He reached inside before throwing a green apple at Jasper who caught it deftly.

"Only one? I want one for me too,"whined Jasper disappointedly.

Monty holds up the entire sack and said,"Did you think this was just for me? When I'm done here you and me are gonna finish all of these."

Jasper smiled and said,"Now that's what I'm talking about. Now if you'll excuse me I'll try and find Thalia. Daddy needs his scarf."

Monty threw another apple at Jasper who caught it deftly again and said,"Hey try and get her to make us some gloves too for that second one. "

Jasper smiled at the idea before he and Monty raised their hands before giving themselves a self-five.

"Ok Monty, I gotta go, but you better hurry up with that radio. I don't want my apples to go bad. Also, laser beams are way, way better than plants."

Monty looked up to respond, but Jasper was already down the ladder.

One day, he was gonna make something that was a super strong laxative and see how Jasper would like that. That'll teach him to doubt Monty's awesomeness.

" 'Cyclops' is still a pretty good nickname though,"said Monty to get distracted before he turned his attention back to his work.

He would never tell Jasper that though.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Clarke lifted her hands and with a yell of exertion she shot a blast of energy at the tree across from her. The tree crumpled and a loud boom echoed around the clearing before Clarke lowered her hands.

She'd been training her powers ever since she'd gotten back to camp with Octavia and Bellamy and she was starting to feel a bit tired. She couldn't stop now until she'd gotten a better handle on her powers.

If all Grounders were like the one she'd killed earlier then they were in a whole lot more trouble than she'd initially thought. They–assuming there were more of them– probably wouldn't take well to three of their own being taken out by them.

It was why Finn, Bellamy and Octavia were out on guard duty now. The dropship hadn't exactly been subtle when it landed and it was a miracle that they'd been left alone for the most part.

It was thus necessary that they be prepared for anything. If the Grounders weren't hostile before then they definitely were now.

Clarke took a deep breath and held her left hand close to her face. She wanted to test something that she'd been thinking of.

She focused intently and after a few seconds her hand ignited into fire. Clarke smiled at the sight took a deep breath before focusing on her flame covered limb. The fire began to spread up her arm and to Clarke's surprise the feeling of burning that she'd expected didn't follow.

The flames stopped just before they reached her elbow and Clarke just stared intently at the flames coiling on her arm. She was so engrossed that she'd barely heard a stick snap at the end of the clearing.

She raised her limb and fired a blast of fire at the noise, but she was surprised to see the flames spread out and stop in midair as if they hit an invisible barrier.

Clarke's eyes began to emanate a blue light and she quelled the fire on her arm. She raised her other hand and began to prepare to fire a blast of energy before she heard a familiar voice speak up.

"Hey Princess, relax it's just me... Bellamy,"said Bellamy as he held his hand up in front of him. He had his hand up as if he was pushing against something, but he lowered it when he saw Clarke's eyes turn back to normal.

"What are you doing here, Bellamy? Aren't you meant to be on guard duty?"said Clarke irritatedly. She wasn't sure why the Blakes seemed to enjoy sneaking up on her. One of these days she might hurt them if they keep it up.

"Hey Princess. I'm done with my section and I've already swapped with Miller. I was trying to find you, but then I heard what sounded like a tree breaking in half and I figured that there was only one person capable of that. So here we are,"said Bellamy as he gestured to the trees around them,"What are you doing? Cutting down trees? We already have enough firewood, you know?"

Clarke simply turned away from him and said curtly,"I'm letting off some steam. Today was...I just have a lot on my mind."

Bellamy sighed as he heard the robotic tone in Clarke's voice. She hadn't been the same since she'd healed his arm and left. Clarke and Bellamy might not be in the best terms per se, but he'd be lying if he said she wasn't vital to their survival.

It was why he decided, against his better judgement, to say,"Look, I know you're probably still beating yourself up about that guy, but it was either him or you. We do what we must to survive."

Clarke whirled back to him and said,"That's easy for you to say! You were willing to kill the Chancellor just to get on the dropship so excuse me if I'm not bouncing off the walls like a kid. I killed a man. I burnt him to death. I've only been here a few days and I can barely recognise myself !"

Bellamy's eyes flashed with anger before he said,"You know what? You're right. I was willing to kill Jaha to get on that dropship and I'd do it again a thousand times over! Octavia is the only thing that matters to me in this world and I'd rather die before I let anything or anyone hurt her. You need to understand Clarke those men we killed. They were going to kill us. All 100 of us if they had the chance. You need to understand that this isn't the Ark. There is no right and wrong on Earth. It's kill or be killed and I know which side of that I'll take."

Clarke gritted her teeth and stalked right up to Bellamy and said,"You think I don't know that? The whole reason I've been out here is to get a better handle on my powers. The Grounders are going to be back and I'll be damned if I let them kill another one of us! So don't come here and try to lecture me about being ignorant or dumb or weak because I've been doing my best to keep everyone safe. I'm the one who got given the fucking golden injection. I didn't ask for it!"

Clarke's eyes began to glow blue and Bellamy stared her down unflinchingly as she continued her rant,"I can't afford to take a break because if something happens then it's my fault! I don't have the luxury to relax and just take a break to work through everything so excuse me for not being stoked about killing someone!"

Bellamy's face twisted into an expression of disgust before he said,"You know Clarke when we first got here I thought you were many things annoying, privileged, brave, smart and even a leader, but this is the first time I ever thought you were weak."

"If I'm so weak,"said Clarke coolly as blue light radiated from her hands,"Why don't you prove it?"

Bellamy cracked his knuckles and said,"Fine by me."

Immediately after the words left Bellamy's mouth there was a flash of blue and Bellamy felt something smash into his stomach sending him flying through the air before he hit the ground and rolled to a stop.

Bellamy looked up at Clarke who still had her hands extended towards him and said,"Is that all you got?Stop pulling your punches."

Bellamy rose to his feet and thrust his hand forward. Clarke was caught unawares by this and in a manner reminiscent of Bellamy she was sent flying through the air. Clarke collided with the tree and she could feel that she'd formed an imprint on the tree.

Clarke rose to her feet and said,"You want me to stop pulling my punches? Fine."

Bellamy hadn't even blinked before Clarke was in front of him and he felt her punch him multiple times all over his body. He staggered from the heavy blows before he thrust his hand forward in the direction he was sure Clarke was in.

Clarke ducked to the ground and was amazed to see the trees in the forest behind her get uprooted and launched into the air.

Clarke rose to her feet before she pointed her hands at Bellamy and fired a blast of fire. Bellamy smirked and without any visible strain in his voice said,"This didn't work earlier, Princess."

Clarke ignored him and kept up the stream of fire even as she saw the flames stop against an invisible wall once again. Clarke smiled when she saw this and increased the temperature of the flames.

Bellamy let out a curse as he brought up his other hand to strengthen the barrier he'd made. Despite his earlier words he now knew that blocking the flames like this wasn't really clever because the barrier only stopped the fire, but as he was finding out it didn't stop the heat.

The heat was sapping at Bellamy's energy and the flames began to creep closer and closer to him. Bellamy could tell that the barrier was about to fail, but the heat and flames disappeared.

Suddenly, a large wall of earth appeared behind Bellamy and no sooner had it reached well above his height did he feel Clarke grab him and pin him roughly against it.

Her eyes were sharp and focused even as tears began to fall from them. Clarke lifted her hand and clenched it into a fist. Bellamy closed his eyes in preparation for the pain, but it never came.

He opened his eyes and was surprised to see that Clarke hadn't moved an inch. Clarke dropped her fist and said shakily,"Still think I'm weak?"

Clarke let go of Bellamy and began to make her way back to camp and before she left the clearing said,"I'm going to check on the flares and then I'll start my rounds. Don't worry I won't pull my punches."

Bellamy ran to catch up with her and placed his hand on her shoulder. Clarke tensed at the contact and turned back to face Bellamy.

"Look Clarke,"said Bellamy softly as he stared into Clarke's eyes which were radiating turmoil,"You need to understand that you're not in this alone. Yes, you did get the special injection and you probably feel like you need to keep pushing because of it. I know you've barely slept since what happened to Wells."

Clarke was about to ask how he figured it out, but stopped when she realised that Octavia or Roma–the two closest to her tent– would have probably noticed how often she left her tent during the night to go on guard duty or even just to sit by the fire.

"Clarke you're not in this on your own. There's me, Octavia, Finn, Jasper, Monty, Raven, Roma hell everyone in that camp would help you at the drop of a hat. You're a good person, Clarke. Don't you ever doubt that."

Clarke was about to respond,but two large, red pillars of light shot into the air and Bellamy and Clarke looked towards each other with a grim look on both their faces.

"That's Jasper's signal beam,"said Clarke as she looked towards Bellamy who was gathering the stuff he'd dropped earlier,"We need to head back to camp. Now."

Clarke waited for Bellamy to gather all his things before she grabbed onto him and she took off towards camp.

They arrived to see everyone running into their tents and only a few people were still out. Clarke spotted Roma and ran, with Bellamy in tow, in front of her.

"Roma, what's going on?"said Clarke as she looked into the nervous looking eyes of Roma.

Roma paused for a second and looked at Bellamy before she said,"It's Grounders. Jasper was looking for Octavia so they could swap and he went with Finn deeper into the woods following the trail she'd left and they couldn't find her at all."

A cloud of anger began to descend over Bellamy who growled,"Where is she?"

Roma pointed at something on the makeshift table that the delinquents used to skin meat,"They eventually reached a part of the woods where they found those and they turned back to camp. I thnk they went back out there, but it's too dark now for them to pick up the trail again."

Clarke and Bellamy stepped closer to the table and both were distressed by what they found.

Shards of crystal that were covered in blood.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Abby pondered the various paintings that adorned the walls of the room she was in. The last time she had been in here she didn't really pay attention to her surroundings, but she supposed now was as a good time as any to take in Diana's room .

The former Chancellor had lived here ever since she'd lost an election to Thelonious. It was to be expected. One did not become Chancellor and stay popular especially if one was as stringent as Diana had been.

Diana had performed more floatings than any other Chancellor. She had also floated every single 18 year old to come out of Prison Station during her term without exception. It was necessary as there had been a fungal infection in the hydroponic farm and as such it was necessary for the resources of the Ark to not be strained.

This did not make her popular amongst the general populace as they began to wish for a Chancellor who was more lenient and humane. Thelonious was lucky in that he'd opposed Diana at every stage and word began to spread of the man who wished for a better life for all.

It was why she found it extremely ironic that even now as she sat here the 500 residents of Sector 17 were slowly suffocating as the oxygen pumps to there were cut off.

Sinclair had explicitly explained how he added managed to seem as a cascading failure that was only barely contained. It sickened Abby to be one of the few who would know the truth and not for the first time she thought that she should play Jake's video on the Ark-wide channel.

However, Abby knew it was pointless to even consider that. Firstly, she was sure that people would revolt against the Council. The simple fact that the residents of Sector 17–which contained mostly those in low-priority careers– were not given a choice and were executed just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Distrust and malcontent would rise and chaos would reign the Ark until the situation was calmed down either by a new Chancellor being elected or by more death. It wouldn't surprise Abby that in the event of a revolt that the Guard would be instructed to shoot to kill.

She'd imagine Jaha and Kane would justify it by saying it would keep the Ark alive for longer and that the rebels would have been floated regardless.

Speaking of rebels, Abby turned her attention to Diana who sat across from her face engrossed in a book that appeared to be written by someone with the surname Morgan.

Abby cleared her throat and said,"What did you do?"

Diana put her book down and Abby was surprised to see the word 'Centum' emblazoned across the front of the book.

Diana noticed Abby looking at the book and smiled radiantly,"It's Latin. It's a tradition within my family to learn how to speak. One started by the woman who saved the remnants of the human race. Her journals give an interesting insight into her mind. She was truly brilliant."

Abby snorted and muttered,"That may be. However, let's not forget her crimes against humanity. Those serums she developed couldn't have been made on her first try. It was also her obsession with them that led to The Era–"

"Careful Abby,"uttered Diana as her eyes gained a dark glint and Abby felt the hairs on her neck raise as she saw steam begin to waft off the shoulders of Diana,"You know that one is not allowed to speak of that time. It's a pretty serious offence its practically treason after all."

Abby's eyes sharpened at this and she felt a flash of anger at Diana's words.

"You dare speak of treason,"declared Abby her voice thick with disgust as she looked at Diana who seemed nonchalant in the face of Abby's rage.

It infuriated Abby.

"You're plotting to overthrow Jaha and yet you try to speak to me about treason? That's rich even from you,"said Abby and she felt a measure of vindication as she saw the anher that flashed across Diana's face before it was hidden by a smirk.

"I see you're not scared to speak your mind Abby. I could do with more people like you"said Diana before her tone turned cold,"However that doesn't mean you should forget your place. The only reason I haven't had you killed is that you still have some use. Don't forget it."

Again the steam billowed from Diana's shoulders, but this time even across the table Abby could feel the sheer heat of the steam even seated across the table.

Abby took a moment to calm herself and she sagged in submission and fear that was more genuine than Abby cared to realise.

"I'm sorry Diana. It's just today has been particularly frustrating,"assured Abby as she decided to finally bring up why she came here uninvited,"I thought I had been caught helping Raven, but when I saw Councilor Fuji on-screen...I knew you had something to do with it. I want to know what you did?"

Diana nodded before she said,"I suppose that's understandable. To say that I'm seeking vengeance on Jaha would not be a lie, but it's not the whole truth."

Abby noted that Diana's eyes flashed with more anger than she'd ever seen in anyone's eyes and the foreboding feeling in Abby's stomach began to grow.

"I was ousted from my position as Chancellor and all because I did what was necessary. The constant floatings and stringent rationing is all that allowed us to survive the disaster that struck the hydroponic farm. I was seen as the bad guy. I was the one who made sure we survived the farm's collapse. I was the one who floated my own husband for planting the fungus that ravaged the farm and yet I was still the villain."

Diana's eyes had lost their anger and were once again calm and devoid of emotions. She held a hand and a ball of water began to form above it. She began to shape the ball as she had the last time Abby was here.

Abby was only barely aware of it though as Diana once again began to speak," It was humiliating to have lost to Thelonious. The pin ripped off my jacket and my belongings thrown into a smaller room were the only thanks I received for my service. I swore that I would rise again and all I needed was the right moment. When I received word from one of my subordinates that the delinquents were to be sent to the ground I believed that I had a chance to regain my position. So I made a plan for Jaha to be assassinated by someone who both had reason to hate Jaha and to go the ground."

Understanding and disbelief dawned in Abby's mind as she uttered the name of the person that immediately fit the profile laid out by Diana.

"Bellamy Blake."

"Yes, the overprotective big brother who fell from grace and had a chance to both continue to protect his sister and kill the man who killed his mother. I didn't approach him directly though and I truthfully believed that once that dropship was launched the 100 were essentially dead. I framed Bellamy for the theft of the remaining Darwin nanobots and thought nothing of it until I heard that the 100 hadn't succumbed to the Earth. I knew that there was a way to turn this to my favour."

Abby felt an uneasy feeling begin to well up inside her as Diana revealed just how far low she had gone in her plot for revenge.

"The delinquents were beginning to remove their wristbands, but there hadn't been any signs of the radiation having killed them. We all suspected that they were acting out against the Ark and for a time it appeared that we were getting close to returning to the ground. I couldn't let that happen lest Bellamy reveal all in a bid to save his own skin when the Ark came down. So I enlisted the help of my most trusted ally. He had also taken an injection of Darwin nanobots and his power is what enabled the final steps of my plan to be taken."

Diana paused and Abby very nearly screamed as the lady opposite her seemed to take her time in continuing her explaination. Finally, right as the pyramid of water floating above Diana's hand flattened into a disc Diana continued her explaination,"You see he gained the ability to completely control any form of technology he comes into contact with. He is able to do many things, but the one that is valid here is his ability to manipulate the output and functioning of technology. This ability is what enabled him to make it seem as though all of the 100 had died and also frame Fuji for aiding Raven. "

Abby was thunderstruck by the revelation that Diana had made and her faces scrunched up in disbelief and confusion. Diana smiled before she said glibly,"I see you're still not sure of what I'm saying. I told my guy to make it seem like the 100 had died. He was able to intercept the signals being sent by the wristbands and make them broadcast that the 100 had died."

Abby felt hope rise up in her as she realised the implications of Diana's statement.

Diana looked at her and said,"Yes, they are alive. I had him route the actual signals to my tablet from the beginning and the majority of them have removed their wristbands by now, but they all showed normal vital signs beforehand except for five of them. There are also signs pointing that they've found water and food. However, I think the most interesting part is that they've shown some other changes. Their powers have begun to manifest and it's amazing especially the records I have for Clarke."

Abby flinched at the mention of her daughter and hung on to every word Diana had to say.

"Her brain activity is off the charts and her heart rate and body temperature has at times shot extremely high. It's safe to say that the Novus injection is a success."

Abby took a moment to process all of that and she put aside the elation she felt at hearing that her daughter was still alive and Abby looked at Diana in the eyes before she asked something that had been bothering her.

"Something still doesn't make sense,"said Abby as she voiced her concern,"Why did you have Fuji framed in place of me? Also, what is your endgame? All you've said us what you've done to get here. You haven't mentioned what you plan to do now?"

Diana paused as if wondering to answer before she said,"I framed Fuji because he thought he could take me down. When I recruited you, I had already secured the support of Kaplan, Muir, Cole and Fuji. Fuji tried to blackmail me after I became aware of your plot. He wished to become Chancellor instead and I took care of that. He had recorded one of our conversations just like this. I like ambition in my followers, but not too much so I got him stripped of his rank. I kept you alive because we both know how popular you are and I'll need your support for when I commandeer the Ark before our return to Earth."

In a dark corner of Abby's mind she found herself praising Diana for her meticulously executed plan. She had managed to effectively gain control of the Council and by managing to get Fuji locked up she had both eliminated a threat and sent a message that she wasn't to be trifled with.

It made her realise that perhaps getting this close to Diana had been a mistake as she had an epiphany about why the council had all voted for the Culling.

As if on cue, alarms began to blare outside the room and neither occupant moved. The voice of Sinclair came over the Ark-wide channel as he began to warn people of a massive systems failure in Sector 17.

Abby just barely managed to block out the sound of the siren as she looked at Diana who seemed uncaring at just what those alarms meant.

"You want to make Jaha into a scapegoat,"said Abby before continuing her thoughts out loud,"Your people are in high places. They'll be able to spread the truth of the 100 and you forced the Council to vote for the Culling so that once Sector 17 was wiped out you would then expose that the Earth is habitable and also expose the Culling. This would force Jaha to step down and I would back your nomination to Chancellor in the case of an election and with the Council on your side you would be in full control of the Ark. You'd then execute Project Exodus and be the hero that brought the human race back to the ground."

Diana smiled and said,"Well that was the plan, but I've thought better of it. The only thing you missed is something that only Jaha and I know. You see Project Exodus can't take us all to the ground. So I decided to instead cause massive unrest with these revelations while me and my people take an Exodus ship to the ground during the chaos. I know that the Exodus ship leaving would cause massive damage to the Ark and I suppose there'll be some loss of life, but that's fine. So I suppose I lied to you...I don't need you for your support. I need you for your medical expertise when we return to Earth. "

Diana looked at her large bay window as she caught sight of something odd. She was elated to see what looked like a fleet of flares streaking across the Earth. Abby was at her side and she too saw the flares and she knew it could mean one thing.

"They're alive,"said Abby in awe as she tracked the path of the flares. Whatever doubts she'd had about Diana telling the truth were now and truly gone.

Diana smirked at the sight,"That couldn't have come at a better time. I'm pretty sure that we aren't the only ones to have seen this. It's a shame that Sector 17 must be a graveyard by now. I wonder if Thelonious will be able to live with himself after this."

A knock at the door came and to Abby's surprise Commander Shumway was the one behind it. She idly noted that the alarms had turned off.

"Pardon for the intrusion, but Chancellor Jaha has called for an emergency council meeting,"said the man looking directly at Abby.

Abby thanked the man and before she could leave to follow she heard Diana say,"Michael, stay behind. I'm sure Abby can find her way back to the Council room."

Abby felt an intense wave of anxiety rush over as she realised the magnitude of what Diana had said. Clearly, Shumway wasn't taking his orders from Kane anymore.

In fact, she suspected that Shumway was Diana's partner that had enabled much of her scheme to come to fruition. Thus, Abby schooled her features and tried to not give any outward clues to her thoughts.

Abby closed the door behind her and she was completely unaware of the predatory gaze of Diana that had followed her on her way out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

There was an uneasy feel to the Ark noted Kane as he began to make his way to the Council Room and he was sure he knew why.

The people of the Ark who had all been in bed were huddled together in clusters and Kane fought down the guilt that erupted as he heard snippets of conversation about the death of Sector 17.

People had lost fathers, mothers, children and friends in a freak accident. They had been told of the 'error' that had occurred, but it was cold comfort for those who had lost someone.

It was especially painful for Kane to walk through these halls after hearing what one of the Guards had told him. The 100 were alive. The flares that had been seen soaring across the Earth had made major news and even now as Kane was making his way to the Council Room he was able to hear some people talking about the incident.

Kane was about to turn the last corner he needed to in order to reach the Council Room and he was surprised to see that Abby was waiting for him outside the Room.

He cautiously approached her and noted the panicky and yet distracted look she had. Abby turned towards him and her eyes seemed to focus before she said something that made the suppresed guilt within Kane permeate his entire being.

"I'm sure you're aware that the 100 are alive. I was in Diana's room when I saw them,"whispered Abby as she counted her lucky stars that she and Kane were the first to the Council Room,"That's not important though. The important thing is Diana. She's planning a rebellion. She used the Darwin nanobots to arm some of her people and one of them was able to manipulate the information we were receiving from the ground."

Marcus managed to suppress his guilt in the face of this information and said calmly,"Abby, that's a serious accusation. Diana is a respected member of the Ark and this is no small matter. What proof do you have?"

Abby sighed as she heard the admittedly understandable disbelief and suspicion in Marcus' voice.

"She recruited me for her rebellion."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Octavia felt nauseous. She felt rope digging into her wrists and ankles and she also vaguely realised that she was being carried.

Slowly, the memories of what had happened came back to her.She had been doing her rounds when she heard something fly through the air. Her crystal armour had activated on it's own and Octavia was grateful for it since a spear had bounced off of her chest.

Immediately, Octavia had shot shards of crystal into the trees and she was rewarded when she heard a low groan of pain.

To her surprise, _two_ people jumped down from the top of the branches. The one responsible for the groan of pain she'd heard earlier ripped the shards out from where they'd dug into his arms.

Octavia remembered how she felt confident about taking the two of them considering how she'd beaten a Grounder earlier in the day without much fuss.

It had only taken her a few seconds to realise that the two warriors were of a different breed and her armour had saved her from many deadly blows from their swords.

The finishing blow had come when one of the Grounders had taken in a deep breath and Octavia had only had thd time to blink before what felt like an extremely strong wind had slammed into her.

Octavia had been sent tumbling head over heels through the forest before she had slammed into a tree hard. Octavia tried to raise herself, but she felt pain flash all over her body. Her armour was now adorned in slight hairline cracks and her body was flickering in and out of view.

Suddenly, an object had slammed into the ground and released a spray of dust. Octavia had reflexively inhaled and immediately had felt the effects as she had begun to lose consciousness.

Octavia snapped out of her reverie and she looked up at the sky to get a gauge of the time and she was amazed to see Raven's flares zipping across the sky.

The sight had caused adrenaline to start pumping through her veins and Octavia tried to activate her armour despite being bound.

To her horror, her armour didn't appear and her predicament seemed to have been noticed by her captors one of who smiled so viciously that it sent chills down her spine.

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**Author ****Notes**

**Also****, there wasn't much of Finn in this one. I only noticed that after the fact, but from what I've seen he's not that well liked at all. Like seriously you guys hate ****him.**

**Sorry**** I took so long. I've been busy with exams. I hope this chapter makes up for it. Next chapter we'll get to see how the rebellion pans out and what happens to Octavia.**

** Also expect the Nanobots and the differences between them to be explained fully and you'll see just why Clarke's is so important.**

**I've also**** taken the liberty of making a map of sorts for the 100. I plan on exploring the world because I mean other than Trikru and Floukru we don't really see other cities and I really want to explore the Grounder world. So if any of you live in the Eastern part of America or South-Eastern Canada then if you're lucky your hometown will come up. I'm not from America though so please no hate if I make a mistake.**

** I've drawn a general map, but i can't draw so I'll just list the way I've dividied up the land if you guys want to see it.****With that said expect some changes to the world and the main reason that is happening is to build a world more suited to my story than the current 100 world.**

**Read****, Review, Share**


	5. Erasure

T**hanks for your reviews and feedback. I'm happy you guys enjoyed Clarke and Bellamy's training scene so much. I tried hard on that part and your reviews were awesome.**

**This is my longest chapter yet and reveals one of the major differences between my world and the 100. Please keep dropping ypur thoughs on powers, pairings and the story in general.**

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Monty and Raven were sitting in the dropship and were still putting touchups on the radio. It was still quite dark out yet dawn appeared to be fast approaching.

"Do you think this'll work when we're done here?"asked Monty as he paused and stretched.

Raven scoffed and said,"I know it's gonna work. Besides you're the guy that fucked up and fried everyone's wristbands last night..."

Monty groaned at the reminder of his error. He had been tired and even though he'd made some caffeine laced cherries to keep him focused and they worked amazingly well at first. It was only later on when everyone had run to their tents and the dropship after Jasper's signal that he'd begun to tire.

The all clear had been given later on after give or take an hour and half until a rather tMonty had made a few incorrect connections and the wristbands of everyone had fallen off and Monty had to placate a tired and exhausted Raven who had been napping after her eventful day.

The genius Zero-G mechanic had taken over the salvaging of the parts of the 'radio' that Monty had made using the wristbands and merged them with the radio that Raven had brought down with her while Monty was given some much needed downtime.

Raven, Jasper, Roma and Miller were going to be acting as the unofficial guards of the camp while Bellamy, Clarke and Finn were on Octavia's trail. According to Raven, Bellamy had nearly charged after his sister in the dark of night once he'd heard from Finn and Jasper that they had been unable to pick up her trail at night.

It was only thanks to the words of Clarke who'd managed to make Bellamy see reason and she also promised that they'd pull as much manpower as possible to help find Octavia. Bellamy had still been reluctant, but had finally backed down when Clarke had threatened to force him to stay which had apparently been enough to convince Bellamy to stand down.

Monty couldn't blame Bellamy in all honesty.

Telekinesis or no telekinesis, but fighting Clarke was something that would probably end with being more than just a little sore and considering Clarke was also the medic of the camp then she could probably also prolong your pain as long as she wanted. That wasn't Clarke's style it was more of a Raven thing from the little Monty had been able to gather of Raven's personality.

"Man Monty, I swear if Abby hadn't sent me down here I don't know how you guys thought you'd manage to contact the Ark. That radio you built was a disgrace. That's putting it lightly too."

Case in point.

"Yeah, yeah whatever, "groused Monty as he resisted the urge to drug Raven with a cherry with extreme laxative effects,"Anyways, do you think the Ark saw your flares?"

Raven smiled at the annoyance in Monty's voice before she said,"Well, I hope so. Abby said that Diana lady was going to try something so they might be busy, but there's usually a few people Earth watching no matter what's the time so I think they know we're alive at the very least and hopefully we stopped the culling."

"I'm sure we have nothing to worry about. Your flares must have definitely gotten their attention. If you'll excuse me, I'm just going to stretch my legs out for a bit,"said Monty as he stood up and moved to the small window after Raven's affirmative grunt.

Monty looked outside the window at the shining light in the sky he knew to be the Ark and he watched for a few minutes as it moved in a figure eight pattern.

It was a soothing sight that was only disturbed once white streaks began to shoot across the sky in a dazzling light show.

Monty raised an eyebrow at the sight and looked to Raven and said,"I think you're gonna want to see this. I can't tell what it is."

Raven rose at the insistent tone in Monty's voice and she peered up at the sky to see what the big fuss was. Upon seeing the white streaks Raven swore loudly and kicked the wall of the dropship. A dent formed on the sight of impa6and Monty flinched from the loud noise that had been made.

"What's wrong? Do you know what that is?"asked Monty slowly as he took in the angry form of Raven.

"I know what it is alright, "said Raven as she tried to rein in her anger.

Monty watched as the anger slowly subsided from Raven and felt a cold pit form in his stomach from the words Raven practically spat out.

"It's a _funeral_. We were too late."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Abby sat at her table as she contemplated the events that had happened and were to come on the Ark.

The emergency meeting had gone on and the council had decided to not inform the citizens of the Ark about the 100 just yet. Thelonious and Kane had both listened to what she had had to say and although Thelonious had been frustrated and angered that Abby hadn't informed him immediately about Diana's treachery, he had eventually conceded Abby had been right to try to find out more.

The Chancellor had been surprised that Diana had organised the theft of the nanobots and had also been responsible for them believing the 100 to be dead. The worst thing was that since Shumway was clearly in league with Diana then it was near impossible for Kane to mobilise the Guard against her as she already had the loyalty of Kane's second in command so it was likely that a good portion of the Ark were also loyal to her.

The thing that put Abby most on edge was the fact that Diana still saw her as necessary and also the fact that she hadn't tried to silence or discredit her in any shape or form. The fact that Diana clearly wanted her for something put her on edge and she was sure she wasn't going to like the answer to that conundrum.

Five taps on her door drew her attention and Abby said, "Come in."

The door swung open to reveal Marcus who had a solemn and defeated expression as he mumbled a greeting and sat down on her couch. Kane hadn't been the same since the sighting of the flares and Abby could tell that the weight of condemning the entirety of Sector 17 to a meaningless death weighed heavily on Kane's shoulders.

"If you'd like Marcus,"began Abby as she looked at the shell of a man,"You could rest on my bed. I haven't been able to sleep and I can tell you're also exhausted. "

Kane shook his head and said," Abby, you need to get rest. You need to be well rested for any patients you might have and you already know I can't sleep. So long as we don't knowwhat Diana's motives are and who's she's working with I have to be the one to look after you."

Abby was touched at the concern Kane was showing her, but she brushed it aside and said,"I know that Marcus, but you need rest too. We both know if Diana is going to make a move it'll be today. The funeral had gone on for a few hours so into the night and you went to that and you've been walking rounds for the past few hours now. It's practically already time for me to go to Medical. I'll be safe there too I'm sure. You need rest too."

Marcus sighed and stood up and said,"I'm sorry Abby, but I can't do that. I was the one who advocated the culling. It was my idea and I'm in charge of security yet I let a rebel group form right under my nose. I don't deserve to rest. All those people dead because I simply wasn't as wise as you were to vote against the culling. This situation is one of my making and I'll be damned if I let anyone else get hurt on my watch. "

Abby had moved closer to Kane throughout his speech and once he was done she stood in front of him. She pulled him into a hug and said, "I know you feel like this is all your fault, but you did the best with the knowledge available to you. There was no possible way of knowing of discovering Diana's scheming and remember she was the one who made the screen broadcast that the 100 had all died. I only voted against the culling in the vain hope that Clarke was still alive down there. I didn't know for certain whether or not they had died and if the vote had gone my way it was still entirely possible that I had doomed the Ark in my selfishness. We can't do much about the sins of the past, Marcus. We've both done terrible, _despicable_ things, but the only thing that matters is if we're able to learn from these and strive to be better people. It's the least we could do."

Tears had formed in Kane's eyes as he heard the words of support coming from Abby. The powerful words resonated deeply within him before he wiped his eyes and said,"Thank you Abby. It means a lot."

The two stayed just as they were letting silent tears fall as the two basked in the emotional and physical support of another human being before an alarm went off and she separated from the hug to go and turn it off.

The clock read 9AM and Abby hurriedly turned it off before she began to freshen up and swapped out her jacket for another as she began to prepare for work.

She was done in a few minutes and found Kane standing as he waited for her.

"You aren't late?"inquired Kane as he noticed the late time.

"No, that was Clarke's alarm. I've barely spent any time in here since she got locked up and I'm usually out the house when her alarm goes off so I haven't turned it off. Jackson's in charge of the night and morning shifts so I don't usually need to be at Medical until around 10, but this is the first time I've really used that perk,"said Abby as she closed a few buttons on her coat.

She made for the door, but stopped in front of Kane and said,"You can sleep here. Remember the announcement is at 3. Don't worry Marcus. The guilt will go away. "

Abby schooled her features and made to leave, but the parting words from Kane as he lied down on her couch nearly made her stumble.

"That's what I'm scared of Abby."

Abby looked back, but she was surprised to see that Kane had already fallen asleep showing just how tired he was.

"Sleep well, Marcus. "

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Finn, Bellamy and Clarke were following the path that Finn believed was that of Octavia and her captors. The three had been following the trail of broken twigs and bloodspots- though those had stopped appearing after a while- and they had been at it for a good few hours.

The party of three stopped after Clarke called for a break much to Bellamy's anger.

"Why the hell are we stopping?"said Bellamy with a perturbed look on his face. The other two didn't understand that Bellamy couldn't —wouldn't — stop until Octavia's safety was guaranteed. He'd already lost one family member. He didn't eerwant to add to that number if he could help it.

"Look Bellamy,"said Finn slowly as he took a sip from his canteen,"It looks like there was more than one person on this path and if these guys were able to take out _Octavia_ then it probably would make sense that we aren't dead on our feet if we find them."

"When we find them,"corrected Clarke as she passed them some of the food she had packed before they left camp,"If these guys wanted to kill Octavia then I bet you they would have simply killed her and left her body nearby. I'm pretty sure we're on the right path. Octavia definitely didn't go down without a fight if those shards were anything to go by."

Bellamy ,despite himself, could see the validity and he accepted the bottle of water that Finn threw his way. The three rested for five more minutes before they continued on their way.

Occasionally, Clarke would look up into the trees as she remembered the other Grounders they had encountered had made use of the trees, but she hadn't spotted anything through the rather thick canopy.

While they were walking, Clarke tried her best to understand her elemental powers. It was hard to explain how she was able to use different powers at different times, but the only thing she could liken it to was discovering a set of muscles that you had no idea existed until they were there.

The other delinquents who had activated their powers – a number that was still way below ideal agreed with this although some of them have mentioned how there were moments that they couldn't control their powers or had a 'muscle spasm' .

The spasms occurred for a host of various reasons such as Octavia's armour activating whenever she was in danger to Jasper, ironically, nearly burning Octavia to hell when he stared just a bit too hard at her ass.

Bellamy remained blissfully unaware of the infatuation Jasper had with his sister and that was probably for the best. Octavia would probably go out of her way to flirt with Jasper and others if only to annoy her brother.

She had an understandably strong dislike of authority.

Clarke tore herself away from thoughts of the Ark, for now at least. The Ark was basically a powder keg waiting to be lit from Raven's estimation and Clarke knew there was no point in fussing over something that she couldn't affect as of yet. Monty and Raven said they'd be done with the radio by midday probably, but they'd wait for them to retrieve Octavia as long as possible before they'd signal the Ark.

Slight rustling in the canopies above drew Clarke's attention and she stopped walking nearly causing Bellamy to bump into her.

Finn stopped when he heard the footballs behind him cease and a grim look grew on his face as he spotted the grim look on Clarke and Bellamy's face.

Clarke was scanning the trees and readying for a fight, but there had been no further sounds. She motioned for the three of them to keep walking and they did, but this time they were much slower and cautious of their surroundings.

It was after perhaps another half hour of hiking that the first warning signs appeared. Clarke barely heard the sound of something landing behind them before she turned and Bellamy was grabbed by a Grounder and up into the branches.

Instantly, chaos broke out as a group of three Grounders dropped from above and landed surrounding Finn and Clarke who had instinctively gone back to back.

"Princess,"said Finn as he activated his intangibility –and by proxy made Clarke intangible too–and reached for the handle of his sword,"We need a plan of attack here."

Unseen to Finn, Clarke took a step forward and lightning crackled up and down her arms,"I do have a plan."

A strange smell that Finn couldn't quite identify filled the air before a large bolt of lightning shot at the ill-prepared Grounder who had the misfortune of being Clarke's target.

The man was hit instantly by the lightning and let out a guttural scream before his body collapsed to the ground. Finn had turned around and he noticed immediately that the man wasn't moving.

Finn was horrified at the sight and was barely able to move. The ease with which Clarke had killed the man struck deep within him. He watched as Clarke ruthlessly punched one of the Grounders away and sent him flying into the trunk of a tree with the momentum generated by her superhuman strength and speed.

The impact was emphasised by a loud crack and one look at the Grounder showed Finn that the tree wasn't the only thing that had been broken as the dented and misshapen head of the Grounder showed.

Clarke was oblivious to Finn's behaviour and she barely paid him any attention before she turned her attention to the other Grounder who seemed to have braced himself for anything.

Clarke took a moment to analyse the Grounder and she saw he was dressed in ratty clothing and perhaps most curiously his arms had what looked like old burn wounds across them. There were still some parts that were unblemished and showed what looked to have been an intricate tattoo at some stage, but it was though it had been deliberately removed through burning.

Clarke's eyes flicked over to the cooling corpses of the other men and as she expected the old burn marks were also present on their arms. It was clear then that this had been done on purpose, but the question was why?

Self-harming rituals aside, she had to find Bellamy and Octavia and fast. She hoped Bellamy was okay, but she had no way of checking in on him.

"Where are my friends?"said Clarke Sicily as she walked past Finn and closer to the Grounder,"I know you understand me and I doubt you want to end up like your friends over there so you better tell me."

The warrior seemed to consider Clarke's words and took in a deep breath before finally opening his mouth to speak.

At least, that was what Clarke thought he was going to do, but the man exhaled and to Clarke's dismay she was sent hurtling through the woods and she felt her bones break and bruises form as she carved a new path through the trees.

Finally, she slowed to a stop against the bough of a thick tree. Immediately, she felt her wounds heal at an extremely fast pace and after what was probably a miniteshe was already fully healed.

A hoarse scream emanated from where she'd been hit with the gale force wind followed by a heavy thump into the ground. She felt the force of the tremor even from here and with a start Clarke realised she hadn't been alone.

"Finn,"breathed Clarke as she steadied herself before running back to where she had been.

The sight she had encountered was not what she was expecting at all.

There was a deep crater in the ground and in it Clarke was just able to discern the broken and beaten body of the last remaining Grounder.

Finn had sunken to his knees and had a look of horror on his faces but the sight that truly surprised her was Bellamy who had his hand pointing downwards.

There was also the corpse of who she assumed to be the Grounder that had taken Bellamy, but what truly surprised her was the bald and muscular man who had a tattoo etched onto the top of his head.

As if on reflex, Clarke prepared to burn the man to hell and flames had even formed on her hand, but to her surprise Bellamy stepped in between her and the Grounder with his hands pointed at her.

"_Don't_, "said Bellamy slowly, but firmly as he looked into Clarke's eyes meeting her glacial glare with one of his own,"He's the one who saved me from that Grounder up there and he said he knows where we can find Octavia. He's a good guy."

Clarke was undeterred and fixed her eyes on the Grounder who still hadn't taken any sort of action,"I don't trust him. How do we know he isn't going to lead us into another trap?"

Bellamy sighed and said,"We don't, but it's fine if you don't trust him then trust me. I have faith in him ."

The flames on Clarke's hand grew in intensity before they suddenly turned off. Bellamy let out a sigh of relief and dropped his hands.

The man walked out from behind Bellamy and said in what was surprisingly perfect English,"We need to leave. The Splita usually work in larger groups than this. They might move your friend if we don't hurry."

Clarke moved to Finn and touched his shoulder, but she was hurt when he flinched away from her and looked at her with fearful eyes. He rose and without even looking at Bellamy and Clarke spoke to the Grounder,"How far away is she? Also, I'm sorry, but I'll need something a bit more concrete than some words."

The man didn't look offended and reached into his pockets. Only Finn had tensed up at the action, but his body language relaxed when he saw what the man had pulled out.

"Octavia's wristband, "said Clarke as she took in the silver contraption. It must have fallen off after Monty had fried all of the remaining wristbands.

The man began to walk and the other began to follow. There was an uncomfortable silence before Clarke said,"So, what's your name? My name is Clarke. Clarke Griffin. The guy whose life you saved is Bellamy Blake and this is Finn Collins."

"Lincoln,"said the man calmly as he began to guide them through the woods.

Clarke figured that now was as good a time as any to figure out more about the Grounders and Earth and with that in mind said,"You saved Bellamy from those guys. I think you called them Splita...what does that mean? In what language too? It's nothing I've ever heard of."

Lincoln didn't shy away from the question and said,"It means traitor in my people's language, Trigedasleng. These markings we have symbolises our loyalty to _Trikru_– or the Woods Clan as you would understand it. They had been exiled for bringing disgrace to our people and as such their markings were removed."

Clarke was surprised at the this turn of knowledge and a small kernel of anxiety formed as she processed Lincoln's words. Those burns had been deliberate and what was more was that there were more people on the Ground. An entire clan of people too. Clearly, the Grounders must have had some sort of genetic variation that enabled them to survive the aftermath of the war.

"Are Trikru the only clan or are there more people out there?"inquired Finn as he too became invested in the information that was being shared.

"No. The Trikru aren't the only clan. There were many that survived the bombs and they were the first of what came to be known as the 12 clans. We are in Trikru territory and to the east is Floukru, the Boat people, and further north is the Ice Nation, Azgeda. Those are the only important ones for now,"said Lincoln gruffly as they reached an area where the forest petered out and their surroundings changed to that of open fields.

Even Bellamy was unable to keep the surprise off his face at the idea of enough people surviving the nuclear war to form 12 clans. Everything they had thought they had known about the Earth was completely shot to dust in the wake of this revelation.

It amused Bellamy in a morbid way that the people on the Ark had suffered and were currently suffering for no reason. The Earth had been able to sustain life all along and yet the people of the Ark were forced to eat barely filling meals and restrict themselves to having one kid and reuse clothes all because they thought the Earth was uninhabitable.

As usual, thoughts of the Ark caused Bellamy to sober up especially when he'd heard the culling had occurred in spite of Raven's flares. The fact that the deaths of over 300 people were squarely on his shoulders was a hard pill to swallow.

His selfishness and cowardice had resulted in the deaths of hundreds and Bellamy felt as though a chunk of his soul had shrivelled up and died. Raven had been especially vocal about just how she felt about him and her words had cut deeper than any knife.

It was only thanks to the intervention of Clarke and Finn that Raven had calmed down though he was sure the two were simply bottling up their disgust for him while Octavia was still unaccounted for.

More Clarke than Finn anyways. Finn had been giving Clarke and Bellamy these little looks and while they were wearing on his nerves Bellamy knew that it was a fight for another day.

The mighty Spacewalker clearly was uncomfortable with how Clarke and Bellamy had killed those Grounders without breaking a sweat. It didn't seem to matter to the boy that it had been done to save their lives and it was in that moment that Bellamy realised that for all his talk and bluster Finn was still -like the rest of the 100- a kid. Something that most had forgotten with the very real threat that the Grounders posed.

The motley crew carried on walking through the plains as Finn questioned Lincoln about the ground and other such stuff. There were mostly inane things like the weather, seasons and even on the level of technology until Clarke finally asked the question that was on everyone's mind.

"Why are you helping us?"

The somewhat easy mood that had settled upon the group evaporated instantly at those words. They kept walking, but now the tension in the air was palpable.

The silence ensued before Lincoln said,"My people are wary of you. I was assigned to scout your group further to see whether or not you are a danger to Trikru and to the Coalition. My superior believes you to be dangerous, but from what I have seen _most_ of your people are harmless. _Children_. I doubt many of your people have ever even been in a battle."

The glance that Lincoln gave over his shoulder made it clear just who he didn't see as children and Clarke had to nudge Bellamy with her elbow since she could practically see the steam pouring out his ears at what the words implied.

Lincoln didn't seem to mind though as he said,"To deny you two being dangerous would be a lie and that would not help you to trust me. I was due to return when I had happened across Octavia being taken away. My pride will not allow these traitors to roam and terrorise your people. The Splita were normally exiled to the dead zone, but there's a large group that tempts fate by remaining in Trikru land. "

Clarke spoke up and said,"If they're traitors why doesn't the Trikru kill them? "

Lincoln didn't answer and Clarke noticed that the scenery around them had changed again and they were approaching a cliff. They reached the crest of it and they were surprised to see that a river was flowing down below.

Lincoln grabbed onto a vine and tested it's strength before he finally answered Clarke's question, "It would be an exercise in futility. "

Lincoln looked across the river and thiigh his next words were barely above a whisper they were still comprehensible by the three delinquents and the haunted tone in them sent chills down Clarke's spine.

"Living in the shadow of the Mountain is a fate worse than death."

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Octavia wasn't sure how long she'd been tied up with her wrists behind her back. She hadn't slept a wink since she'd awoken to the sensation of being carried. She wasn't sure where exactly she was nor how long she'd been unconscious for before waking up, but that was the least of her concerns.

Her time on Earth had given her a new lease on life. She wasn't the girl who hid under the floors anymore. She had a purpose now. Protecting her fellow delinquents from the Grounders and for the umpteenth time Octavia cursed her arrogance.

She had been too passive in her fight. The rush she had felt while fighting had also caused her to drag it on unnecessarily and in the end she had been taken out by a glorified version of the big bad wolf.

It had taught her a lesson though and that was that her armour was vulnerable to extreme blunt force trauma. So fighting Clarke would have to wait.

That's how whatever poison they used had knocked her out and taken away her powers. Temporarily.

"They should have doubled their dosage,"said Octavia as she felt the familiar sensation of her crystal armour activating. Unfortunately, Octavia hadn't been given the fortune of having enhanced physical abilities, like how pretty much everyone(even Monty) with powers had shown, and as such brute force alone wasn't enough to break free of her bindings.

Octavia was a bright spark though and she liked to think that she had experimented with her powers more than everyone except for probably Clarke and Monty. In fact, she was surprised at how little people were messing around. In fact, Octavia would bet her numb, left leg that if Bellamy stumbled across her captors he'd kill them the same way she'd seen him do...how long ago was that?

Octavia shook off the hunger and tiredness induced daziness. She focused on her armour-specifically her wrists- and projected it outwards. Large, sharp spikes jutted out from her wrists and Octavia was relieved to feel the scraps of cloth that had been used to bind her fall to the ground.

It was quick work from there to shape her hand into a knife and cut through her other bindings. She was working on the last time around her ankle when she heard rapidly approaching footsteps.

The man she recognised as one of her original captor stumbled in and seemed to swear upon seeing her free. He reached for his pocket and Octavia was devastated when a wave of nausea came over her.

She hadn't had any rest, water or food in hours and it seemed like that was going to cost Octavia her only shot at breaking free. She doubted they'd use such weak bindings again or perhaps they'd drug her constantly so her powers didn't return and she was at their mercy.

The thought of being stuck in the dank cave spurred Octavia on and she raised her hand to the Grounder who looked equally panicked as he searched for the poison she knew would strip her off her powers.

However, before either occupant of the cave could attack , the Grounder let out a wet sounding gurgle before collapsing facedown. A knife was lodged deeply into the back of his neck and Octavia let out a sigh of relief that turned into panic when she saw her saviour walk in.

Lincoln had barely stepped into the cave before he caught the glint of multiple objects flying through the air. Oddly, they stopped in midair as if they struck something solid and fell to the ground harmlessly.

"Is that anyway to treat your saviour, O?"quipped Bellamy as he walked into the cave with his hand held up and his fingers splayed.

"Bellamy?"said Octavia as she finally broke free from her bindings and ran full tilt at Bellamy before enveloping him in a tight hug. Octavia finally allowed the reality of what had just happened to click in her mind and she just cried into the jacket of Bellamy.

By the time, she had recovered and calmed down she noted that not only were Finn and Clarke standing just outside the mouth of the cave, but so was the Grounder she'd almost killed in a panic.

Her cheeks reddened as he made contact with her and his eyes flickered over her body too quickly for anyone, but her to notice.

Octavia, for all her faults, wasn't a shy maiden and she straightened out almost immediately before looking towards the man and so with a wide smile that slowly faded as she continued to speak Octavia said,"Thank you for saving my life...and uh sorry for almost killing you..."

"Lincoln,"offered the man as he smiled reassuringly at her,"It's okay. I understand that you weren't aware of my intentions. "

"As much as I love seeing Bellamy angry,"said Finn much to the chagrin of the aforementioned man,"But is that normal?"

Everyone looked to where Finn was pointing and they were surprised to see a swarm of bugs rushing towards them.

Lincoln tore his gaze away from Octavia before looking at Clarke and said,"You need to stay here. I must go warn my people that the acid fog is coming. You need to avoid it. The fog kills all who are caught in it's way."

"_Acid fog_?"inquired Bellamy curiously, "What do you mean?"

Finn snorted and said,"I think it's pretty obvious. "

Clarke looked at Lincoln and said,"Could you please organise a meeting with your leader? I think it'd be best if we sought for peace between our people."

Lincoln nodded and said,"Anya is stern, but she is a fair leader. I'll speak to her about it. Expect a response within a day or two max."

With that said and done, Lincoln pulled out a horn and blew deeply into it. The sound echoed out for what Clarke was certain was miles and with a start realised something.

"The people at the drop ship know nothing about the fog and I'm sure this thing goes pretty far,"said Clarke as she shucked off her bag,"Octavia, I'll carry you on my back and we need to run back to camp. It's just past midday I think and Raven and should surely be done with the radio by now."

Octavia tried to protest, but when Clarke saw the fog approaching in the distance she said,"We don't have time for this, Octavia. You're weak as you are. Finn and Bellamy can't take care of you and themselves."

Octavia shut up and allowed Clarke to pick her up. Clarke looked at Bellamy and said,"I don't think the fog will seep into here. The cave is deep enough to avoid that. You guys should come back as soon as you can."

The two girls were soon gone in a gust of wind as Clarke raced to the sight of the drop ship. The fog seemed to be coming from further beyond the cave and so Clarke didn't have to worry about accidentally running into a cloud of acid.

Octavia was screaming in what Clarke categorised as excitement as she ran through the forest. Octavia's screaming reached a new height of excitement when Clarke had cleared the cliff overlooking the river.

Finally, the forestry became familiar as Clarke recognised as the trees that were near to the dropship. She ran straight through the open gates and skidded to a stop in front of the dropship.

Luckily, Jasper was just walking out of the dropship and Clarke called to the boy who seemed shocked at Clarke's sudden entry.

"Jasper, emergency beam. I'll explain more later."

Jasper nodded in the affirmative and looked to the sky before shooting two beams of light into the air. The delinquents began to gather into the dropship without much fuss and all though they asked questions of Clarke she ignored them for the moment at least.

It took perhaps two minutes and Clarke had had to retrieve a few stragglers, but the door to the ship was eventually closed. Clarke wanted to explain the acid fog situation to everyone and so she climbed up the stairs to the upper level, but she didn't actually go to the second level.

"Finn, Bellamy and I were out looking for Octavia when the acid fog came from the west. It's extremely dangerous and there's more I'm not telling you, but don't worry we've got everything under control."

The protests rose in volume, but they were lowered once Clarke and Octavia went to the upper level and found Roma, Raven and Monty seemingly waiting for them.

"I'm glad you guys are back,"said Raven as she took in the haggard forms of the two girls,"The radio is done. All you need to do is hold down the button and speak and you'll be broadcasting to the Ark wide station. We're actually on listening mode right now, but nothing has been broadcast on the Ark wide frequency as of yet."

Clarke nodded, but before she did she looked to Monty and said,"You got any apples? Normal ones."

Monty reached into his sack and threw two apples at Clarke who immediately gave them to Octavia.

"Apples are hydrating and energizing. You could probably do with some of that."

"Yeah, yeah whatever. I'd like to see you be hydrated and energised after spending time bound in a cave,"groused Octavia before she bit into the admittedly delicious fruit.

Clarke smirked as Octavia tried to hide the relish on her face, but her smirk fell as a spell of dizziness overtook her and she fell to one knee.

Roma was closest to Clarke and she grabbed onto her and said,"Are you okay Clarke?"

"Yeah,"rasped Clarke as she allowed Roma to guide her into Monty's chair. The spell of dizziness faded after a few minutes and when Clarke came to she was offered an apple by a concerned looking Octavia.

"Thanks,"said Clarke gratefully as she accepted the fruit and devoured it within a matter of minutes.

She moved to flip the radio into broadcast, but Raven caught her wrist and said,"Sorry Clarke, but I can't let you do that. Just sit down and take a break. You're wearing yourself down and clearly you need sometime to recover. Just sit there and relax. I'll get you some water and food."

Clarke wanted to protest, but she was cowed by the pleading looks on everyone's face. She felt her chest warm up at the concern they were showing and so she caved.

"Fine. I'll rest, but I'm not taking a nap. I need to be the one to speak to the Ark."

"Okay, fine. Just try to get your bearings back,"said Raven as she knew Clarke wouldn't budge on this.

She got that from her mom probably.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jaha sat in the control centre of the Ark and watched the various views the plethora of cameras on the Ark offered. He knew it was likely that some of the images were false if Abby's word was to be believed (which it was) , but it was unlikely that all of them were which is why he still saw it prudent to pour through all of them.

Abby and Kane were behind him and they too were scanning the cameras for any suspicious behaviour. His speech was due in 10 minutes and they needed no interruptions or the situation could seriously deteriorate and that would only help Diana.

"Thelonious, "said Abby tiredly as she watched her lifelong friend scan over the cameras again,"This is pointless and we all know it. Diana has us in the palm of her hand and we can only hope to counter whatever plan she has cooked up. "

"Abby's right,"said a refreshed looking Kane,"The Guard is already spread out across the Ark and the people of all stations are gathered into all the assembly rooms waiting for your speech. Starting a bit earlier couldn't hurt."

Jaha paused before he said,"You're right. Both of you. I just can't believe we're about to execute Project Exodus. It's a monumental moment and the last chapter in the story of the Ark and I think the occasion is getting to me."

Jaha signalled for the only other occupant of the roon, Sinclair (whose loyalty was unquestioned), to setup the Ark-wide streaming service.

"Awaiting your approval, sir"said Sinclair and at Jaha's nod he pressed a button and a video began to play on every screen in the Ark.

Abby had to wipe tears from her eyes as she watched Jake's video be broadcast to every memeber of the Ark. The cameras within the conference room showed that everyone from the youngest girl to the oldest man were paying rapt attention to the video.

When it finally ended, Jaha rose and approached the microphone. He looked at Abby and said,"I'm taking Jake's words to heart. There will be no more running or hiding from the truth. The people deserve to know."

"_Everything_, sir? Even the _Blight era_?"said Kane cautiously as if expecting to be killed for mentioning that.

Thelonious nodded gravely and said,"Yes. _Everything_."

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Diana was livid. Oh, she knew Abby would end up reporting her actions and she knew that Kane and Jaha couldn't get to her as long as they didn't know who she was working with.

After all, a weed had to be pulled out by the roots.

What she did not expect was for the video of Jake to be played. The sheer emotion in the video would have already pacified the crowds and she had Shumway on standby to interrupt Jaha using his technopathic abilities the moment he lied and instead broadcast Diana's words which would hopefully incite a large enough riot to allow her and her group to grab the Exodus ship.

Instead, Jaha had given a full disclosure on the 100 being sent down, the culling Sector 17 and even the nanobots injected into the 100 though it was a largely simplified explanation which also left out any mention of Clarke getting different injection.

It pissed her off. She suspected the only reason there wasn't anyone trying to cause unrest was a combination of the emotions stirred by Jake's video, the high guard presence all over the Ark and also the silver tongue of Jaha. Thelonious, despite his heinous actions, had almost convinced even Diana to his way.

"There are two more issues of grave importance that I need to address. If all of you were to look at your computers or tablets you'd see that the year currently states that it is 2149."

Diana's mouth dropped as she heard these words. Her hands clenched into fists and she felt her nails dig into her palms. Thelonious wouldn't dare do this.

"The truth is...the year is actually _2277_. The apocalypse was over 200 years ago and not 97 like we led you to believe. The reason for this being hidden was due to the actions of our first ever Chancellor Darah Sydney. "

Diana was able to hear the exclamations of surprise of those who were watching in the hallway and she could . Thelonious paused before he continued his speech.

"She was a genius paralleled by few. In fact, she alone was able to formulate a way for the stations to unite. Thus, she was elected Chancellor, but the system used to elect her was not the democracy we know today, but a plutocracy and there was none who had anything close to what Darah had brought to the table. This is what enabled her to reign for 20 years . The stations that had less to offer were given less rations, supplies and so on. It was brutal, _cruel_ even but it worked."

"The problems began in 2068. The hydroponic farm on the Ark had been infected by a fungus and extreme damage had been done to it and it was only getting worse as time went on. The yield of the farm was a lot lower and there was an uproar as the lower class citizens were given even less rations. There was also rapid population growth as people had more children in order to get more supplies. Soon, the Guard were vastly outnumbered by the rest if the Ark and crime and unrest was climbing exponentially. This suited Darah's agenda just fine. In order to prevent an uprising Darah ruled with an iron fist and every single transgression resulted in imprisonment. Despite calls from the upper echelons to execute the prisoners so as to not overwork the hydroponic farm Darah had staunchly refused to do so. The reason being she wanted to test the improvements she'd made on her first two editions of her nanobots and as such she _experimented_ on the prisoners. "

Diana looked at Shumway who had a stunned look on his face before she said,"Make sure that our Plan B is ready by the time he's done speaking. Remember essentials only and make sure they're distracted."

Shumway nodded slowly before leaving the room. Jaha had taken a break presumably to allow this all to sink in the minds of the Arkers before he continued.

"It was an open secret and those who opposed it were cut down ruthlessly. Darah wished to eliminate any thoughts of treason and that was the only crime people were executed for. Fellow neighbours reported any signs of treason or suspected treason in the hope of winning favour and by proxy extra supplies. After over a decade of such behaviour the process of making powers had been perfected and the version of the Guard at that time had begun to manifest powers of their own which they used to subjugate the population further. This could have been life as we know it on the Ark. However, in 2088 members of the Guard had grown sympathetic to the masses and they had led a mutiny. All of the upper echelon and members of the Guard had been killed, but Darah had been discovered dead by a suspected suicide in her lab . The remaining series of her nanobots and a secret third version which was supposedly meant to be used by Darah as well as all electronics that she used had been locked away in a room under constant guard and accessible only by the current Chancellor."

" That put an end to a period of time that was called The Blight,"said Thelonious managing to sound both firm in his delivery and yet sympathetic to the woes of their ancestors, "However, the after effects of the Blight would last for over 70 years. It was discovered from the few notes of Darah's that had been discovered that the degradation of the hydroponic farm had been orchestrated by her in order to breed hopelessness amongst the people. In the build up to her being overthrown, Darah had managed to cause near irreversible damage to the hydroponic farm as a last hurrah. The organisers of the mutiny had elected a new Chancellor, but perhaps unsurprisingly the caste system remained intact. The new Chancellor was far more sympathetic and as a show of good faith decided to release the prisoners back into the Ark on the same day they'd overthrown the regime. The stress put on the hydroponic farm had reached breaking point and the Chancellor, Joseph Kane, on the second day made two decrees and it was the second of those decrees that would cause Joseph to lose his humanity. The first was that having more than one child was declared a crime punishable by execution and while this weighed heavily on him it was the second decree that truly ruined him..."

Jaha took a deep breath and for the first time Diana was able to discern a note of uneasiness and disgust in her successor's voice,"The citizens of the Ark were forced to take part in cannibalism. Joseph knew that if people refused then the remnants of the human race would fade away and cease to be and so any dissenters were executed and their corpses were harvested. Anyone over the age of 14 was forced to do this and children below that were given the bulk of what the hydroponic farm was able to produce. Joseph ruled with an iron fist for 15 years before the ghosts of the past came back again."

"The usage of any powers had been forbidden under the penalty of death. It therefore came as a surprise when those hadn't been experimented on and indeed those who were born after the Blight began to exhibit powers. The final piece of Darah's plan had fallen into place. It was widely believed that the reason she had destroyed the hydroponic farm was to force the Ark to be driven to cannibalism because she'd made it so that the nanobots could be passed down genetically and through ingesting anything that had the nanobots in their system. There wasn't anything to be done as by then everyone on the Ark had ingested the infected flesh. The powers only had roughly a 20% chance of manifesting, but the genetic trait for them was always present and always passed down. Darah had been a geneticist beforehand and efforts were made to crack through her heavily encrypted laptop. Finally, in 2161 the code had been cracked through the work of many coders who had dedicated their lives to the endeavour. It had been cracked by a man called Steven Warren. It was discovered that Darah had designs of various gene editing machines. One was recreated and although it was impossible to prevent the nanobots from being passed down genetically the machine was used to reduce the chance of natural manifestation to zero. It was suspected though that due to the limits of the gene editor that if any citizen of the Ark were to be injected with the nanobots or ingest anything that had been injected then there was a 10-20% chance of the powers activating. "

"It was decided by who you know as our second Chancellor, Wells Jaha, in 2195 that the events from 2068 to 2195 were to be scrubbed clean from the records in an effort to wipe the slate clean and give us a chance at a better life. To escape further from this floating was introduced as the only way of execution as it would prevent us from going down that road ever again. Thus, the history of the Ark as you know it has been a fabrication made of the lost peaceful times. The first 16 years and the last 81 years. This is a truth known only by the council and the Heads of the various departments. Now onto my second order of business, there have been reports of flares on the Earth and I can confirm that we believe the 100 have made contact and so as my last act as Chancellor I hereby declare Project Exodus open pending contact from the ground. I'll allow a reprieve for 10 minutes before I explain the details."

Diana rose from her seat and began to mentally prepare for the execution of her plan.

It was almost time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The silence in the entire dropship was deafening. The radio that Raven and Monty had made was capable of producing an extremely loud volume and it had been cranked up to the maximum. It had started broadcasting perhaps an hour and a half after Clarke had returned with Octavia.

The delinquents were shell shocked at the world changing news and though it didn't explain everything, it certainly helped to explain just how the Earth had managed to be warped to such an extent however that didn't explain how the _Grounders_ had powers if it had been an _Arker_ who had developed them.

It also explained why not all of the 100 had activated any powers. The odds on them manifesting were low and if the estimation was to be believed only a few more would actually activate them.

The sound of someone climbing up the ladder drew the attention of everyone in the upper level. The hatch was lifted and to the surprise of them all John Mbege - one of Murphy's friends -came into the room along with Ryan Finch. The startling thing though were the knives that they were brandishing.

"You are not signalling them,"said Mbege,"We finally have a slice of the good life and we won't let you ruin that by signalling them."

Raven stood up and walked up to Mbege. She looked him in the eye and said,"Listen, you _turd_. We're surrounded by an unknown number of Grounders who have powers. There's no possible way for us to survive especially if only around 20 of us will be worth anything in a fight."

Ryan looked incensed and said with anger,"You guys all think you're hot shit. Just because you have powers you all think you run the show."

Octavia and snorted and said,"Well who else is supposed to step up? _You_? Mbege over there? You guys haven't even once left the dropship nor have you at least been in one fight with a Grounder. If it hadn't been for me, Roma, Clarke, Bellamy and Finn those Grounders could have killed a lot more of us. Monty is the only reason we're surviving off more than just meat and ration packs. Everyone I just mentioned as well as Miller and Jasper have been risking their lives doing rounds while you've been coasting on your ass."

Octavia's anger had taken over and her armour spread over her entire body. Her voice had developed a slight echo, but the tone was unmistakably cold,"I suggest you put those toys away or you might get hurt."

Mbege took half a step forward, but he froze when he saw Clarke point her hand at him and her eyes were glowing blue,"Octavia's right. We've been doing our best to keep all of you safe and if you guys have such a problem with us and the Ark coming down then leave. The last thing we need is to be fighting amongst ourselves while also having to fight the Grounders. So if you want to go, then go. The acid fog should be gone by now. Maybe you'll find your friend Murphy if the Grounders haven't gotten to him yet. "

The anger within the two boys rose at Clarke's cutting words before Mbege said,"You may think you're doing us a favour Princess, but the truth is... you're a monster. You sent Murphy and Charlotte to their death. How many Grounders have you killed? How many more will you kill? "

Clarke walked gingerly from behind the table and yet she still seemed as confident and sure as she usually was. She lowered her hand and the blue glow faded from her eyes.

"I don't care what you think about me,"said Clarke coldly,"I'll do _whatever_ it takes to keep us safe. Charlotte was unhinged and murdered Wells because she couldn't get to Jaha. Murphy almost got killed for that by you and almost everyone else and he would have been killed if I didn't step in. He had nearly and would have crippled Max if I didn't step in."

Clarke took a step forward and Mbege took one back,"The Grounders I killed? They were willing to kill me and everyone else in here and I'll be damned if I let something like that happen. So listen John. You can hate me and curse me all you want. I. Don't. Care. Just don't you dare threaten me or anyone else in this camp again or I'll show what a _real_ monster is."

Ryan looked cowed by the words of Clarke and Octavia not to mention the hostile looks everyone was sending the two of them.

"Come on John. Let's go."

Mbege was still angry and when Clarke turned her back on him as if he was nothing. He snapped. He threw the knife like Bellamy had taught him and watched as it sailed through the air towards the oblivious Clarke.

"Clarke! Watch out!"screamed Roma as she watched the knife zoom towards Clarke. She knew that due to the small space within the upper level Clarke didn't have time to turn her back and avoid the knife.

Which is why she felt her jaw drop as Clarke turned around and caught the knife by the handle just millimetres away from it embedding into her neck.

It looked, in Roma's opinion , fucking badass.

Strangely, Clarke had a puzzled look on her face as she looked at the knife in her hand before she connected the dots and glared at Mbege who looked shocked beyond belief.

"Leave,"said Clarke slowly,"Before I kill you."

The two boys couldn't have left the room faster. Clarke stared at the knife for longer before she heard the radio crackle. She heard Jaha greet the Ark and he began to speak, but Clarke flipped the switch on the radio and said,"Sorry to interrupt, Chancellor Jaha, but this is Clarke speaking. Clarke Griffin of the 100. The Earth is habitable. I repeat the Earth is habitable. "

There was a pause on the other side before she heard Jaha say,"We thought you were dead. Am I correct to assume Raven Reyes helped you contact the Ark?"

"Yes,"said Clarke as she sent a smile to Raven,"It's thanks to her and Monty Green–"

A derisive snort erupted from Raven interrupted Clarke and Monty simply sighed heavily before saying to himself,"She's never gonna let that go. Isn't she?"

Clarke had to fight to keep the humour she felt from reaching her voice and she continued, "Excuse me, like I was saying Raven and Monty built the radio. It was also Raven who built the flares you mentioned during your speech using her escape pod. However, that is not important. What's important is that there are people on the Earth who survived the nuclear winter."

There was some movement from the other side before Clarke heard a voice she'd hardly been expecting nor particularly keen to hear.

"Clarke? What do you mean there are survivors on the ground? Are they hostile? How many of the 100 are alive?"said her mother rapidly and Clarke decided to intervene.

"Hi Mom," said Clarke icily and since she knew this was on the Ark-wide channel she had to keep her anger contained. She felt a hand settle on her shoulder and squeeze. She trailed up the arm and saw Roma was giving her a small smile. That was enough to calm her down,"The Grounders seemed to have survived the bombs probably through natural selection and while there have been a few bumps we're meeting with one of their leaders to discuss peace. There are currently 96 of us alive. A few of us have manifested powers, but not all. We now know why since we were tuned into your whole broadcast."

The voice of Jaha came back on and she could hear the curiosity in it,"That's surprising news. Never did I think that people had actually managed to survive the nuclear war. Have you guys made your way to Mount Weather or the bunker due south of on your map? I mentioned it in the video that was played during your descent."

Clarke raised a brow and said,"No, we set our camp up around the dropship. The video got interrupted by a boy who had punched the screen in. We never knew of either of those, but Mount Weather is not safe. It's where the hostile Grounders stay and there's periodic acid fog that kills anything caught in it."

Jaha's voice came back on and he said,"I see. These hostile Grounders? Are they separate from the group you're making peace with and are they dangerous? Are they the ones who killed some of your members?"

Clarke felt an iron ball form in her throat as the moment she'd been trying to avoid came up and again she was thankful for the support Roma was giving her,"Yes, one of us was killed by these hostile groups and yes they are separate from the other group and two had died in the descent to Earth, but the last one had been killed by one of two that had been exiled. It was Wells. Wells was killed by a girl who thought killing him would get rid of her nightmares. Her nightmares of you floating her parents. I'm sorry...We couldn't do anything to save him..."

The line was silent before Thelonious' voice came back on," I see... I know despite your differences you and Wells have known each for long and I hope you have had the time to grieve properly. Clarke, we'll work on making this a secure line so the 100 can speak to their parents in privacy. Is there anything else to report?"

"Yes,"said Clarke as she took a deep breath,"The Grounders. Somehow, they have powers just like us."

"What!"exclaimed Jaha loudly,"How is that possible?"

"We're not sure, but we know for certain that they powers. When will the Ark be coming down? If the talks go south we'll be surrounded by thousands of hostiles enhanced with superpowers. We will die,"said Clarke calmly which was in contrast with what she felt,"Also, I'll need your word that all of us including Bellamy Blake will be pardoned. He has been a massive help and without him we'd be in dire straits."

"I see,"said Jaha stoically,"Project Exodus will take us at least two weeks to prepare for. The bunker I mentioned earlier is roughly 20 miles south of Mount Weather, but the exact location is visible on the map. It has supplies and also doubles as a weapons cache that should aid you against the Grounders in the very least. Thank you for you service, Clarke and you the 100, Ms Reyes and Bellamy Blake have been exonerated from all your crimes. "

"Thank you,"said Clarke before she prepared to turn off the radio,"Citizens of the Ark today marks a new era in our lives. We can finally live the life oir forefathers wished for. I hope to see you all soon. May we meet again."

Jaha's voice came on and solemnly he said,"Thank you for that, Clarke. May we meet–"

The sound of an explosion cut off Jaha's voice and there was some static before the line went dead.

"What the hell happened?"demanded Raven as she fiddled around with the radio,"It's not an error on our side then that means..."

"Mom was right,"said Clarke in horror.

"Diana's coup, "said Raven in realisation, "It's happening now..."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Hey guys so there's the thing I've been hinting to. The idea behind the time skip was simply because from my personal opinion. I do not believe 97 years is enough to turn the world of the 100 into what it is. The world was way too intricate and everything so this was my solution. It also gives plausibility to the idea that the Skaikru are more resistant to radiation as I imagine 200 years is more realistic for such a change to occur.**

**Lincoln made his first appearance and yes Bellamy may have trusted him too quickly for your liking, but Lincoln did save his life after all. That's a far cry from holding his sister captive and drawing pictures of her.**

**I've already mentioned how the Grounders got their powers, but trust me there's more of a story to it than you believe.**

**I tried to paint Darah as a truly diabolical person. I hope you managed to get through the info dump, but I tried my hardest to map out and flesh out the reasons for why that time of the Ark was so horrible. I like to think I did a decent enough job.**

**Please don't flame me. I know it's a huge change, but for my version of the 100 to make sense(I.e. enough of the nanobots having spread through the Grounders etc.) A significantly larger of time needs to have passed. I mean I feel that for Becca to become the divine entity the Groundes view her as and for the Flame to not be recognised as technology then time needs to have passed. After all, time inflates the achievements of the past and all that.**

**Next chapter, Diana's Plan B is revealed,the 100's meeting with Anya and perhaps finally a full explanation on what the Novus ' purpose is. PM me or drop a review if you think you understand Darah's plan which I hope you'll find to be something truly diabolical.**

**I've seen that people wanted me to pair Clarke with Roan...that's one I've never seen before.**

**Read, Review, Share**

**NOTE: The timeskip does not affect certain events from happening so...Praimfaya, Eligius IV etc... may or may not happen. I'm just saying that it has not happened as of yet and there are explanations for these that I'll write in the story. This is an AU so its possible some might not happen.**


	6. Hunger

**Hey guys. Here's another chapter. Its a doozy roughly 14K words.**

**T****o the guest reviewer whose pen name is basically you smashing the keyboard: I'm sorry, but Roan and Clarke just isn't happening... sorry to disappoint.**

**I'm currently without a beta so if they're any errors. i apologise in advance. I pulled an all nighter to pump this bad boy out.**

**I'm starting a new trend where I'll just post a song you should listen to. Just for fun, not for this chapter or any in the future specifically.**

**Song Rec: The Human League - Don't You Want Me**

**Fun song until you understand the lyrics.**

Hope you enjoy

I don't own the 100

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"May we meet again,"said Clarke's voice through the speakers and Kane was silent as he mulled over everything they had just learnt.

There was obviously a lot more to the story than they had originally thought. There were survivors on Earth. Admittedly, this was always a possibility.

The first ever usage of nuclear weapons in Hiroshima had not resulted in the total annihilation of everyone who had been exposed to the radiation after. However, the scale of the Apocalypse had been said to be on another level.

The mushroom clouds created by the bombs reached miles into the sky and were visible from all of the stations. There had been attempts from the various space stations and eventually the Ark to radio in to Earth, but after no response from all of the nuclear strongholds for 10 years ,probably due to the ambient radiation in the air, there had been no further attempts to reach out to the ground.

Secondly, the fact that the survivors had not adapted to the new Earth, but enough of then had survived to form a political system of sorts.

Finally and most surprisingly, if Clarke's words were to be believed the Grounders had also shown signs of having been exposed to the Darwin nanobots.

It wasn't clear how they'd gotten access to them and it was worrying for the 100. The Grounders were apparently not peaceful at all. The crucial aspect most seemed to overlook about the nanobots was that the chances of their power manifesting were only low if one lived a conflict free life and it was under those conditions that the probabilities had been calculated after the Blight Era.

Therefore, it was likely that the nanobots would behave differently in dangerous situations. They were made for war after all. The only silver lining was that it was likely that more of the 100 would develop powers if they themselves were in dangerous situations.

Marcus tried not to think about how many of the 100 would die in said dangerous situations.

"May we meet–"began Jaha before the radio stopped transmitting and vibrations began to echo throughout the Ark. The monitors showing all the video captured by the cameras also went completely black.

Abby turned to Sinclair and said,"What happened? "

Sinclair tapped buttons on the keyboard rapidly before letting out a sigh of frustration, "I'm fully locked out of the sys6. Those shockwaves we felt are probably coming from the stations ."

"Diana,"muttered Jaha before he turned to Kane, "Marcus, I'll need you to get guards to go and do some reconnaissance and find Diana. Make sure the Guard is aware of who's responsible for this. Abby, we need you to go and help whoever is injured once Marcus is back. He'll protect you."

Marcus nodded and left the control centre with Abby. He took out his radio and adjusted it to the channel used by all of the Guard,"This is Marcus Kane, speaking. We have a rebellion on our hands. Guard key points and the control centre. Culprit is Diana Sydney. Anyone who allies with Diana is to be shot dead."

Abby flinched at the order, but she allowed herself to be guided to the nearest assembly hall by Kane. She knew that the Guard couldn't afford pull any punches if they wanted to stop Diana before she did anymore damage to the Ark.

Abby turned the last corner to her first stop and she was horrified by the sight that awaited her. The doors and walls of the meeting hall had been blown to shreds.

There were burn marks across the entire room and the sight became worse once she entered the room. There were no survivors at all. There were body parts strewn across the entirety of the hall and Abby was barely able to resist the urge to vomit.

Abby's grip on her emergency first aid kit tightened and she knew at a glance that there was nothing left to do. The quiet in the room was pierced by a barely audible moan. Instantly, Abby felt a burst of relief that there might be someone to help and she searched for the source of the noise.

It was not meant to be.

Her heart sank as she saw who it was and she felt her heart ache as behind her Kane rushed to his mother who was bleeding profusely from her wounds and laying on her side in a puddle of blood.

"Mother,"breathed Kane slowly as he ran to her side and held onto her hands,"You'll be okay. Abby will help you. Don't worry. We'll get down to the ground and you can plant the Last Tree like you always wanted. "

Marcus began to shake as his hands grew slick with the blood of his mother. His eyes began to tear up and he looked at Abby who still hadn't moved an inch,"Abby! Help her! What are you doing just standing there?"

Abby shook her head and said solemnly,"I'm sorry, Marcus. There's nothing I can do for her. She's lost too much blood."

Vera slowly pulled her hands from her son's grip and slowly wiped the tears streaking down his face before holding onto his face,"Marcus, it's alright. My time is over. Please promise that you'll plant the Last Tree when you get to Earth."

"I promise, Mom,"said Kane slowly even as he felt his mother's grip begin to loosen,"I love you so much, Mom."

"I love you too, son,"said Vera as tears began to gather in her eyes,"I know you never liked it, but please say the Blessing for me."

Marcus began to shudder and he delicately positioned his mother onto her back before once again grabbing onto her hands and he began to speak softly, "In peace may you leave this shore. In love may you find the next. S-safe passage on your travels, until our final journey to the ground."

Vera smiled tightly despite the pain she was in and said,"May we meet again."

Vera's eyes closed and her chest stopped rising slowly. Kane pressed his head to his mother's chest and let the tears that had been gathering in his eyes fall.

"May we meet again."

Kane rose to his feet and he accepted the hug he found himself enveloped in courtesy of Abby. They stood for only a few moments before Kane took a step back.

"Let's go Abby,"said Kane,"Diana's killed over 500 people in this station alone. We still have many more to go."

Abby blinked away the tears in her eyes and followed Kane as they proceeded towards where they knew the next meeting hall was. Diana had probably tried to kill as many as she could across the meeting halls and she knew that now wasn't the time for sentimentality.

The Station Hall Diana had hit was the most populous on the Ark and Abby could only hope that the smaller halls had survivors on them.

A spray of gunfire erupted nearby and Kane pulled Abby behind him as he took out his pistol and aimed forward.

There was silence for a few moments before they heard something that was most certainly out of place.

Rushing water.

Instantly, a literal wave rounded the corner and before Abby and Kane knew it they were swept up by the wave. The grip that Kane had had on Abby's arm was broken and Abby felt a rush of panic as she was slammed into various objects at high speeds. She could barely see anything and she wasn't even sure which way was up.

The need to breathe became near unbearable and Abby knew it was only a matter of time before her lungs would forcibly inhale and take water into her lungs before drowning to death.

Luckily, the wave seemed to have lost it's momentum and Abby was slammed into a wall at the end of a corridor. She took in deep breaths and felt the knot in her chest dissipate slowly as she took in more oxygen.

She heard footsteps approaching and Abby dared to open her eyes, but she felt the panic within her burn anew at the sight of the source of the sound.

"You know on Earth they called that a tsunami, but those were a lot larger than what I made. I bet you didn't expect to almost die of drowning on the Ark though,"said Diana as she sauntered up to Abby who was still sprawled against the wall.

Abby waited for Diana to approach and crouch down near her before she struck. Abby felt adrenaline pump through her veins as she reached for the neck of Diana and prepared to choke her out.

It was all for naught however as Diana casually caught Abby's arms and began to squeeze. Abby let out a low groan of pain as she felt the bones in her wrists began to creak from the pressure they were under.

"I wouldn't try that again,"said Diana coldly as her eyes seemed to pierce Abby's soul,"You just might die this time."

Abby dug deep for the courage she'd need for this and spat directly into Diana's face,"Just kill me already. "

Slowly, a predatory grin grew on Diana's face,"Now why would I do that?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kane rose to his feet slowly and he ignored the protests of his aching body. His gun and radio were miraculously intact though he knew the gun was useless.

Kane began to wander the hallways of the Ark in search of Abby. He knew that Abby and him must have been watched by Diana and her cohorts and they must have waited for the opportune moment to separate the two of them knowing that Kane would probably be suitably distracted after witnessing his mother's death.

The second meeting hall was nearby and Kane steeled himself for anything which is why he was surprised to find it in far better condition than the previous station. There were wails of pain from various wounded, but they were already being helped by the many citizens of the Ark that were well versed in first aid and medicine.

Two down, eight to go.

It was almost as if the first meeting hall had been hit harder on purpose due to its' proximity to the control centre and this idea was further cemented in Kane's head as he proceeded through all the meeting halls.

There was next to no sound as Kane began to approach the priority centres such as Medical, the Keep, the Weapons Cache and the Hydroponic Farm. They were all clustered together in case of a riot as there were able to be shut off from the control centre which in itself was probably one of the most secure places on the Ark.

Gunfire.

Kane went through an automatic door and he nearly tripped over the body of a dead Guard. It was Scanlan. A trustworthy guard , but that was neither here nor there.

Scanlan's rifle was still on the floor and Kane picked it up. Luckily, the clip was full and Kane began to proceed towards the gunfire with his rifle at the ready. He rounded the corner and prepared to shoot, but he held his fire as he locked onto the form of Major Byrnes.

"Sir,"said Major Byrnes in greeting before speaking,"The rebels are not seeking to gain control of any of the priority areas thus far. We've got them in full retreat."

Kane's brow furrowed as questions popped into his mind and he voiced the first one,"How do we know who they are?"

"They all have a blue handkerchief tied around their shoulder,"said Byrnes as she and Kane began to get close enough to the gunfire that they could hear bullets ricochet off the metal surfaces of the Ark.

That settled Kane for a while and indeed once he reached one of the hotspots of contact, he snipped and shot down all those with the blue cloths on their sleeves.

Eventually, the halls surrounding the Hydroponic farm, Weapons Cache and The Keep were all clear. In fact, the last remaining areas were all low-priority such as–

"The Exodus ship,"breathed Kane asthe guards surrounding him looked to him in astonishment, "They weren't retreating. They were occupying us long enough to prep the Exodus ship! "

Kane began to run down the halls to the Exodus ship where he knew where Diana and Abby were bound to be. He only hoped he made it there fast enough.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Are you synched up yet, Michael?"said Diana as she and roughly 100 other people sat in the massive Exodus ship.

"Almost,"said Shumway with clear strain in his voice. If one were to look closely his eyes had turned black with bars of green flickering on and off intermittently.

Diana sighed heavily as she knew it wouldn't take long for the Guard to wise up and stop her. Originally, Diana had planned to vacate the Ark with over 400 of her people, but the unexpected actions of Jaha and then Clarke radioing in forced her to enact her Plan B.

It had been going good so far. She had organised for some supplies and weapons to be moved onto the Exodus during Jaha's speech. The plan also needed a massive distraction hence the many bombs littered across the meeting halls.

The first meeting hall had been hit the hardest if only because it had been where Diana had though Thelonious to make his speeches as he had done in similar situations in the past.

In the end, Jaha had through sheer luck ended up using the control centre and was probably nice and safe in there right now.

Diana had hoped that there would have been more casualties amongst the Guard using the bombs. They had been disguised in bags, trolleys and whatever else her men could have scrounged together once they had heard about the mass assembly.

She did not have as strong a foothold amongst the Guard as she would have liked and she'd hoped enough of her men would have survived against Kane's side to pose a threat against whoever awaited them on the ground.

The 100 were likely aware of her status as a rebel if Abby had indeed spoken to Raven. Diana wasn't sure how many of the delinquents had powers, but she was not going to pull any punched if push came to shove. Especially when it came to Clarke.

The girl probably had no idea just how much power she had at her fingertips and truthfully it was pathetic. Diana had felt pure anger course through her when she'd learnt Clarke had been given the Novus injection. It was her blood right and it had been taken from her.

Diana turned to Abby and said,"If it's any consolation for you when I kill Clarke it'll be quick."

Abby growled around the rag in her mouth and if her wrists hadn't been bound she would have probably tried to strangle Diana.

"I mean first, I'd need to cut her open and see how the Novus changed her body and if it's effects are duplicable or if some form of the serum can be extracted. I imagine it would take some weeks of cutting her open and bleeding her dry before we'd get it right. "

Abby lunged forward in a headbutt, but she began to panic as she felt a strong grip around her neck. Diana lifted her easily with one hand and above the other hand Abby was horrified to see a sharp shard of water form that rapidly froze into ice.

The makeshift knife dropped into Diana's hand and she pressed it into the crook of Abby's thigh,"Tell me doc. How long exactly would it take to bleed out from a stab to the femoral artery? Maybe thirty or forty seconds?"

Abby began to shiver from both the cold knife pressed to her leg and the cold gaze from Diana. Despite herself, Abby sagged in relief when Diana let her drop to the floor.

"You know Abby,"began Diana idly as if she hadn't tried to kill Abby multiple times already, "It didn't have to be like this. I really wanted you to be on my side. It would have made it a lot easier to control Clarke that way. Unfortunately, you sided with Marcus and Jaha of all people. I must say I didn't think you had forgiven Thelonious for killing Jake and essentially forcing you to inject your daughter with some barbaric invention all before shunting her down to Earth."

Abby fought to look away from Diana's mocking gaze and tried to ignore the teasing lilt in her voice to no avail.

"I've never had a child of my own, but even I would have never done that. I know you had read some of the notes on them. You knew there was a good chance of Clarke's body shutting down and rejecting the serum and yet you gave it to her anyways. I'm sure Jake would have loved to hear that."

Diana removed the gag stuck in Abby's mouth gently and undid the bindings on Abby's wrists and said,"You know it's not too late. We could both go down and you'd get to see your daughter again and I'd keep her safe so long as she follows my every order. If she does that then I doubt I'd even need to cut her open. It's the pragmatic approach after all. Why should I dirty my hands when I could get someone else to do my dirty work for me?"

Abby paused for a few seconds before saying softly, "Clarke is strong. If there's anyone in this universe who could have survived that serum it's her and there's no one else I'd trust more to have it. I don't know if Jake and Clarke hate me for all that I've done, but as long as Clarke lives then I can bear that burden."

Abby turned to Diana and this time Diana flinched from the sheer determination in Abby's eyes,"What I can't do however is to align with someone as cruel and evil as you no matter what you may offer me. So can we get this over with."

To Diana's surprise, Abby lifted her head exposing her neck and said,"The carotid works just as well the femoral artery by the way in case you were wondering. "

Diana paused and scanned the eyes of the various people in the dropship. Shumway still appeared to be busy trying to sync with the Ark and the rest of her people were watching the interaction closely.

Diana ruled her people with the right amounts of charisma and fear. She knew that any signs of weakness would plant a seed of doubt in their minds and that would come to bite her in the ass be it now or months from now.

That was unacceptable.

Diana wasn't actually afraid of them. She still hadn't given anyone else other than Shumway and Abby a Duos injection. She still had them in Darah's suitcase and she was only going to inject them once on Earth. Regardless, she needed to show them how ruthless she was to prevent them from even thinking of rebelling.

Diana tightened her grip on the ice knife she had made and stepped up to Abby,"If this is how you want to go out then so be it."

She raised the knife to Abby's neck directly over the carotid, but to her consternation she was interrupted by Shumway,"Ma'am, we have incoming. Marcus and a few squadrons of the Guard. They'll be here within a minute. The preparations aren't ready yet. I need five more minutes to safely decouple from the Ark."

Diana sighed before she said,"You'll get your five minutes. "

She looked to one of the Guards loyal to her and said,"Trent, let's go you'll trail with Abby. Gag and bind her. "

The man in question nodded before Diana spoke again,"Listen here. In five minutes we'll be going down to Earth. It's been a long road, but we're nearly done. We have enough supplies to last us months and enough weapons that no one would even think of attacking us. We have some of the best engineers, doctors and farmers with us as well and like I promised you before we will finally live a life worth living."

The 30 people in the room cheered and Diana smiled as while she walked everyone –even the 4 council members including ex-councillor Fuji– in the room bowed towards her while raising their right arm aloft. The golden bandannas tied around their wrists fluttered slowly.

"Chancellor Sydney, "said Trent,"On behalf of everyone I pledge our loyalty to you. We are yours to command from now and forever."

Diana's smiled stretched across her face and she said,"Thank you, Trent. I think it's time I do something however. You've all done enough."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kane was horror-struck at the sight before many members of the Guard were all dead from bullet wounds to various parts of the body or appeared to be unconscious. It was perhaps more chilling to note that they had blue cloths tied around their arms.

Kane couldn't help, but count the amount of traitors he had in his ranks and it needed him to note that roughly 40% of the Guard had not been loyal.

The thing that confused him, however, was how a great deal of them seemed to have been shot in the back as if from allies and an insidious thought manifested in Kane's mind.

These Guards were simply a distraction and stalling technique. It seemed that Diana had given orders to kill her own men. The disgust in Kane's mind could not be greater.

The blue cloths had not only identified as them traitors to the Ark, but also as targets to be eliminated by their fellow 'allies '.

Kane paused as he came to the last corridor before reaching the Exodus ship. There were various side branches that snake off the corridor before one reached the automatic door to the Exodus ship.

The ship was actually designed to hold well over 700 people, but he doubted Diana had allowed even a quarter of that on the ship.

"Harvey, take your squad and sweep out the corridor,"said Kane as he motioned for the man to step through with his men.

Kane trailed behind the men and they swiftly cleared out each side corridor. They were 10 of them that had made it here with Marcus. The rest had been dispatched to check on the status of the Chancellor and help out at the meeting halls since members of the Guard were required to be able to give rudimentary first aid.

It also helped that the Guards with Kane now were his most trusted subordinates.

Kane was at the middle of the formation when he heard the automatic doors open. Oddly, there was no one that had stepped through and Harvey rushed ahead to investigate.

The Guard stepped through and Kane watched horrified as Harvey's chest was pierced by a spear made of ice. The man let out a gurgle of pain before collapsing to the ground.

"Diana is nearby,"said Kane slowly, "You've been briefed that she's capable of controlling water so be on guard. Form defense formation C."

The sound of rushing water reached Kane's ears and he recognised for what it was on time.

"To the corridors! Now! "said Kane as he ran hard to one of the side corridors as the telltale wave came from behind. The wave neatly swept Kane away again, but he had made it just in time to dive into one of the side corridors.

He and two others had made it to the side corridor and they watched horrified as the wave barrelled past for over three minutes. Eventually, the rush if water stopped and Kane and his men stepped cautiously into the main corridor.

The sight that greeted him was not what he expected.

Diana was standing reading a book and to his horror Abby was on her knees bound and gagged while another guard –Trent Kane's memory served him well –held a rifle to her head.

"Hello Marcus. Nice of you to join us,"said Diana as she continued to read the book in her hands.

Kane levelled his rifle at Diana, but froze when Trent brought the rifle closer to Abby's head.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you Marcus,"said Diana as she finally closed her book,"Unless you want Abby over here to die. "

Kane sighed as he signalled for his men to drop their weapons and Diana smiled,"That's better. You know, Marcus, do you know why you've never been Chancellor? You can't make the tough calls. I mean sure you advocated for the Culling, but that didn't affect you at all really and you still felt guilty about it. A leader needs to be able to make the toughest of calls despite the personal cost. Killing me would have derailed this rebellion and yet you chose to keep Abby alive for what reason? A misguided sense of camaraderie? That's why I did this. You and I both know the Exodus ship can't fit us all so I had to do something to book me and my men a spot on it."

One of the guards behind Kane had bristled in anger as he listened to Diana's monologue. Unseen by Kane, he raised his rifle and took aim at Diana.

He never stood a chance.

A flourish of Diana's hand and the water that had been pooling across the corridor up in thick tendrils and before long all three-including Kane- were tied up tightly.

"Leave Abby here,"said Diana as she walked up to Trent and unclipped something from his utility belt.

The woman in question was pushed forward and she landed with a splash into the water on the ground.

"If it's any consolation, "said Diana as she twirled the shock baton,"I'll tell your daughter you died a hero."

Diana tested the shock baton and she was pleasantly surprised as it let loose a violent burst of electricity.

"She'll be so useful for my plans,"stated Diana as she held her Centum book in her other hand,"This book has been in my family for generations now and to be honest I never expected that I would be the one to use it's knowledge. "

Abby's face scrunched up in confusion before the realisation hit her and Diana smiled at her reaction,"I see you figured it out. You see these are the real notes Darah herself had made about the Novus series and the rebels in all their foolishness never found it odd that they'd found so little on the Novus and yet they were still willing to use it on Clarke. Typical."

Diana raised the shock baton and again it sparkled with a large amount of electricity before she said,"I would say may we meet again, but I don't want the last words to hear to be a lie."

Diana thrust the baton into the water and Kane screamed out in sheer pain as electricity coursed it's way through his body before he collapsed facedown.

The last thing he heard was the footsteps of Diana walking away before all he knew was darkness.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Anything so far, Raven?"said Octavia as she paced around the top level of the dropship. Everyone had vacated the room except for Octavia and Raven.

Clarke was supposed to be relaxing, but after the radio had gone dead despite many protestations from everyone she was still up and going on some rounds with the others.

"No,"said Raven frustratedly before dropping the tool in her hand,"It's fucking hopeless. Whatever went down up there completely fucked up the comms. They can't hear us and we definitely can't hear them."

Octavia blew out a strand of hair from in front of her face. She was feeling rather antsy and upset especially at Bellamy who still hadn't returned. The news that Bellamy trashing Raven's radio had resulted in an entire Section being killed disgusted her.

Granted, he hadn't known that the council would take such drastic measures to preserve the resources on the Ark and yet it was proven to be all for nothing if the extended silence on the Ark was anything to go by.

Octavia didn't owe the Ark anything. In fact, she had been screwed over by the Ark at every turn. However, even she was horrified by these turn of events. The fact that for all her newfound power she couldn't help them out irritated her.

"I thought so," said Octavia before she sighed,"You know, I feel like the powers I have are wasted on me. I got captured by the Grounders without putting up much of a fight and now there's probably so many people dying up there and who knows if someone else had taken –"

Octavia was cut off by a slap from Raven. Raven stood up and essentially towered over Octavia despite their similar heights.

"Listen Octavia, "said Raven as she looked into the younger girl's eyes, "None of us were prepared for this shit. I don't think anyone on this camp expects you to be some invincible, unstoppable force of nature. That's my job."

Octavia smiled at the joke and continued to listen to the mechanic,"None of us even thought for a second that there was a way for our powers to get suppressed. Now that we know that they actually can be taken away we'll do better next time and that's if we even have to fight again at all. I'm sure that between Clarke and this Grounder leader they can hash out a truce or something between the two of them."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. It's just when I got captured. Finn, Bellamy and Clarke all came charging after me,"said Octavia in a lighter tone of voice,"I understand that my powers make me pretty useful in a fight , but what if you guys had been attacked while they were out. It would have been a massacre. I just don't see why they'd risk that for me."

"Octavia, "said Raven sternly as she sensed the plummeting of the younger girl's mood,"You are important. You may not see your value, but the rest of us do. Bellamy may be a colossal asshole, but if there's one thing he's got right it's that family sticks together. Clarke may have only known you personally since you've landed, but don't you think that you're not important to her either. I can tell that she really cares about you and I guess it's hard to believe that other people would go so far out of their way for you, but believe me there are people that are just that great."

Raven had begun to toy with the metal raven necklace that Finn had given and Octavia took quick notice of this,"I'm guessing you're talking about Finn? You must really care about him to come all the way down to Earth in a trashy escape pod."

Raven smiled and said,"He was there for me when I had no one else. My mom gave literally zero shots whether I starved or not so long as she could trade my rations for booze then she was happy. Finn snuck me some of his own rations and that's something I'll always love him for."

Raven pulled Octavia into a hug and said,"It's okay to lean on other people sometimes, you know? Even the strongest of people need a helping hand sometimes."

Octavia was surprised by the embrace, but she just let herself get enveloped in it. Silent tears fell from her eyes as she pondered Raven's words and for the first time Octavia realised that albeit in odd conditions she had finally gotten the opportunity to make some friends and finally be someone more than the girl that hid under the floor.

"Okay, as nice as this is, I can't let any rumours spread about me being soft. I'm pretty sure Jasper is scared of me and I want to milk that for as long as I can,"said Raven and she smiled when it drew a laugh from Octavia.

"Fine,"said Octavia begrudgingly and she stepped back.

The two girls made their way downstairs and made their way towards Octavia's tent. It was only once the got there that Raven realised something crucial.

"Oh for fucks sake,"cursed Raven as she took in the sight of Octavia's bedding and pillows,"I don't have a fucking tent."

"Why don't you just go sleep in Finn's tent?"said Octavia tiredly as she allowed herself to finally be consumed by the exhaustion she felt.

"That's the smartest thing I've heard come from a Blake since I've been here...Are you sure you and Bellamy are related"said Raven before she had to dodge Octavia's shoe and she laughed and made her way back into the camp.

Sunset was rapidly approaching and Finn and Bellamy must surely be on their way back by now. Raven reached Finn's tent and she saw his bed was a little messy, but she didn't mind much and she laid down on it.

She struggled to find a comfortable position and she felt something digging into her side so she reached underneath herself and pulled it out, but she was incensed to find a bra dangling from her fingers.

As if to mock her further Finn walked into the tent and he was shocked to see Raven lying on his bed.

"Raven, I–"began Finn, but he was cut off as Raven threw the garment at his face.

"Save it for someone who cares,"said Raven as she tried to brush past him, but Finn grabbed onto her arm to stop her.

Raven felt tears build in her eyes, but she blinked them away and she asked coolly, "Whose are those?"

Finn sighed and with a defeated expression said,"They're Fox's, but she didn't even know about you. It happened the night before you landed and I mean Monty had made a couple of alcoholic fruit and I swear it was a complete accident. I didn't even mean to. It meant nothing to me Rave, I swear."

Raven sneered and she ripped her arm from his grasp and said,"You know what, Finn? You can sleep with whoever you want, okay? We're done."

"Raven. Let's talk about this–"began Finn, but this time he was cut off by a punch from Raven that sent him stumbling into his tent and Finn even spat up blood and he also felt like a few teeth were loose.

"There's nothing to talk about Finn,"said Raven as she stepped out,"Go fuck your me girl or whatever. Just leave me alone."

Raven walked briskly out of the tent a.d into the surrounding woods before she felt she had put enough distance between her and camp. Her emotions were running high and Raven felt the wind around her begin to pick up speed. Loud, crashing noises echoed out and Raven was in the eye of a storm as a miniature hurricane formed around her and uprooted several trees and sent them flying.

This wasn't enough for Raven and she felt her body move on it's own accord as her hands took aim at one of the last remaining trees. Twin beams of green light shot out her hands and cut through the thick tree like a hot knife through butter.

The smell of burnt wood reached her nose and Raven barely cared as she prepared to fire more beams of light, but she was surprised to feel two hands grip her wrists from behind before pulling upwards and aiming them to the sky.

The beams of light shot up into the sky for a few seconds before they sputtered out and faded away.

"I leave for a few hours and now you're trying to start a fire,"said Clarke as she let go of stepped around Raven before she noticed the look on Raven's face,"What's wrong?"

Raven shook her head and tried to change the topic, "Its nothing. How did you find me?"

Clarke raised an eyebrow and said,"Well, a hurricane big or small tends to draw attention so I thought I'd check out what was going on. Don't say it's nothing Raven. I'm here for you."

Clarke sighed at Raven's silence before she was suddenly pulled into a hug. Clarke was frozen for a bit before she returned the motion. It was a side of Raven that Clarke didn't expect to see especially from someone who Clarke could tell was resilient and tough.

It was only once Raven spoke with clear anger and sadness and shock about Finn and Fox that Clarke was able to understand more of what was going on. The fact that Finn cheated on Raven while she was risking her life to come down to Earth to save Finn disgusted Clarke and dropped him a few pegs in her books.

She comforted Raven as she hummed a comforting tune and they ignored the early evening chill that had settled into the air. The two remained close like that in silence save for Raven's sobs for a while before Raven pulled back.

"Thanks Clarke,"said Raven calmly as she finally gained control over her voice,"I needed that."

"That's what friends are for, right?" said Clarke as she still held onto Raven.

The two eventually stood and began to make their way to camp in silence. The first few stars had begun to appear and Raven ,not for the first time that day, felt extremely tired. The only problem (and a major one at that) was that she still had nowhere to sleep.

Clarke noticed Raven shivering and said,"You can stay in my tent. I got given all these extra blankets and pillows and all that since I fought the Grounders off and saved Roma's life so it was apparently fair to everyone else that I got the extra stuff. It's way too much stuff though for just one person so we can make a bed for you and you get yourself warm before I get us something to eat."

Raven nodded and once they reached the gates of camp, Clarke made her way towards the fire where Bellamy was in charge of distributing the meat that had been cured.

"Clarke,"said Raven suddenly as the girl in question stopped,"You're a good person, you know. Don't forget that."

Clarke smiled at Raven before she said,"Thank you, Raven. You should probably head inside now. That tank top isn't helping you keep warm at all."

Raven was about to respond before something in the sky drew her attention. A large object was streaking down towards the ground and Raven raised a brow as she said,"That's from the Ark...its the Exodus ship!"

The ship was going down fast though and the panic in Clarke's voice rose as she said,"The retrorockets haven't gone off...it's going to crash."

However, to everyone's relief the rockets activated at last and it landed safely yet rather heavily in the distance. Raven and Clarke looked at each other before as one they both ran to the dropship.

They climbed up the ladder and immediately Raven began to fiddle with the radio.

"There are specific frequencies that all Ark stations and pods are tuned into. Its usually to allow for localised announcements, but I'm pretty sure the Exodus ship was also able to listen in on these frequencies. In case of a lockdown or something the Exodus ship was actually one of the places the Chancellor would retreat to if the control centre ever fell. The last one actually...I guess the next step if the ship was in danger of being breached would be to go towards Earth."

The radio let out spinds of static as Raven kept changing the channel before there was clear silence on one of the channels.

"Exodus ship. Exodus ship. This is Raven Reyes, do you copy?"said Raven as she waited for a reply.

There was no reply for sometime before suddenly a woman's voice spoke,"You must be Abby's pet. I shouldn't be surprised you got a hold of me this quickly, but that's not important. I'm sure Clarke is with you. Tell her to come to the Exodus ship tomorrow. She can bring whoever she wants. It doesn't matter...I have a...proposition...for her."

"What the hell do you want?"said Ckarke as she spoke into the radio radiating anger and distaste.

Diana chuckled and said,"Feisty...just like your mom was until she died. A real shame she rejected my offer, but well that's just life I suppose. Listen Clarke, this isn't a game you better come to the ship tomorrow and then we can have a proper chat. I must admit I prefer speaking face to face. I'm expecting you at noon. Enjoy your night."

The radio went silent and Raven turned it off before looking towards Clarke.

Clarke sighed and said, "I guess she actually won. I'll see what she wants tomorrow, but we need others to go out to that outpost and get the supplies in there. Then who knows when that meeting with Lincoln's leader will even be..."

Raven put her hand on Clarke's hand and said,"Hey, things will be fine. Besides, there's no way I'm letting you go to her without some backup."

"Damn straight, " said Octavia as she appeared from thin air. Raven pointed her hands at Octavia and was ready to blast her into the next dimension, but she stopped at the amused look on Octavia's face.

"You should really stop doing that,"said Raven with an annoyed look on her face,"Or I'll burn you to dust. "

Octavia looked ready to rise to the challenge, but she was interrupted by Clarke,"Now's not the time for that, guys. Okay, look I don't think Lincoln will be back for at least a day so we'll still have time to go to Diana and the weapons cache, but I think it would make more sense if we split up."

"Okay, but I'm definitely going with you to Diana, "said Raven as she made her way to the ladder,"I'll call all the other people with powers and hopefully you can sort yourself out. Now if you'll excuse me Clarke's bed is calling me."

Raven dropped down the ladder and left leaving a rather confused Octavia staring after her,"Isn't she sleeping in Finn's tent?"

Clarke sighed at the reminder and said,"No, they broke up. Finn was cheating on her with Fox. She found Fox's bra in Finn's bed and she went out to the woods to vent."

"So I'm guessing those trees crashing was what woke me up?"said Octavia before sighing,"That's messed up. Who knew Spacewalker was such a douche? "

"Yeah," agreed Clarke, "Raven's strong though. She'll be alright. Anyways, since Raven's coming with me tomorrow I can't have Finn with me."

"Fair enough, Raven would probably kill him and make sure we can't find the body too. Can't say I'd blame...Are you gonna send him to the weapons cache then?"

"I don't think he should go,"said Clarke as she remembered the looks and snide comments Finn had made while they were going to rescue Octavia.

He clearly had something against her and Bellamy and it probably had to do with the fact that they had killed the Grounders so ruthlessly. Finn was peaceful by nature so sending him to go to a weapons cache in hostile territory and risk the chance of him zoning out in a fight again was probably not the best of ideas.

"He'll stay here,"said Clarke finally. It was probably best to keep him out of the line of fire.

"Who'll stay here?"said Bellamy as he climbed up the ladder. Octavia sighed at the sight over brother and said,"I'll see you around, Clarke. I'm feeling a little tired."

Bellamy looked at Octavia oddly as she left without even a glance at him and closed the hatch.

"I'm guessing she knows about the Culling?"questioned Bellamy with a distraught look on his face.

"Yeah, I think Raven told her,"said Clarke in as sympathetic a voice as she could. She knew Bellamy didn't intend for that many people to get killed and it probably weighed heavily on his shoulders that he was responsible for so much pain.

"Look Bellamy. What you did was stupid and wrong and selfish, but there's nothing you can do that can change that. The only thing you can do is try to be better than you were the day before. That's what we're all trying to do."

Clarke knew she was right, but it wasn't exactly easy to apply what she had just said. The Grounders she had killed still haunted her at times, but the delinquents couldn't afford to be weak. The status of the Ark was unknown and the peace talks with the Grounders might go badly and that's not even accounting for Diana in the mix.

The next few days were probably going to be pure chaos.

"You're right," said Bellamy as he straightened up,"We need to figure out what to do. The weapons cache isn't too far so I'll lead a team and we'll bring whatever we find back. Also, Raven told me about that Diana lady. There's no ways you're going there without enough protection."

"Bellamy, "said Clarke in an annoyed tone,"I don't need coddling. Between me, Raven and O we should be enough to handle most things. "

"You're right, but we can't afford to take any chances. Me and Roma will come too. I'm sure there's enough guns at the cache to arm everyone so even though most people haven't activated their powers they'll still be safe."

Clarke had to admit that it made sense. The number of the delinquents that had activated their powers was frustratingly low. Clarke, Bellamy, Octavia, Jasper, Roma and Raven were the only ones who had serious firepower and a decent handle on their powers.

Finn's power was mostly good for defense. Monty was actually essential despite being a non combatant so risking his life was extremely stupid. Miller had shown the ability to cover himself in metal, but it seemed as though he couldn't quite control it yet as he struggled to make the armour even go past his arms and legs.

The problem was that Jaha had said that only a couple more would actually activate powers due to the genetic editing after the Blight, but that didn't explain how some of them like Octavia and Raven displayed two abilities instead of one.

In fact, it would stand to reason that Bellamy had powers dormant too if his sister also had multiple. Clarke suspected it had something to do with the initial distribution of the Primus and Duos series, but they wouldn't be able to figure that out just as of yet.

A wave of nausea suddenly came over Clarke as she sat down and clutched her head. Bellamy rushed to her side and said,"Hey, are you okay? I got told Mbege attacked you earlier and you still haven't gotten any rest. You're not going to faint on me, right? I'll leave you right here if you do."

The nausea passed and Clarke shook her head and said,"Speaking of Mbege. It was weird I turned my back on him and I heard Roma shout my name, but...its weird it was like my body knew I was in trouble before my mind did and the next thing I know I'm catching a thrown knife out the air. I only realised he had attacked me after I caught it. I'm pretty sure it's a new power."

Bellamy was silent as he pondered what he heard and he said,"So it's like your body can now automatically detect and avoid danger that you don't know is coming?"

"I think so,"said Clarke before she got an idea and pulled out her knife and she handed it to Bellamy, "I know this sounds crazy, but stab me. "

"Are you sure?"questioned Bellamy as he adjusted his grip on the knife.

Clarke nodded curtly and she watched as Bellamy brought the blade up and stabbed downwards. The blade approached Clarke's midsection, but just before it could make contact Clarke grabbed onto Bellamy's wrist and arrested it's motion.

"That was me,"said Clarke as she let go of Bellamy's wrist,"I stopped it on my own. Now let's step things up."

Bellamy was about to object, but he was silenced as Clarke turned around and with her back towards Bellamy said,"Throw that at me."

"I'm sorry what?" said Bellamy incredulously as he processed her words.

"Trust me. If worst comes to worst I can heal myself,"said Clarke as she closed her eyes and waited for Bellamy to throw the knife.

A heavy sigh escaped Bellamy's lips before he stood and prepared to throw it. The silence in the room was absolute and after another 30 seconds of inactivity Clarke was about to tell Bellamy to hurry up before it happened.

***!***

The somewhat familiar feeling of her body taking charge washed over Clarke and she felt her body turn and snatch the knife out the air deftly.

"Okay,"said Clarke in equal parts amazement and relief, "It seems like it only works for things that I don't know are coming judging from what we know."

Bellamy was shocked at the sight before him and he shook his head and said,"Yeah, I guess so. Any other cool and amazing powers you've got hidden?"

Clarke smiled at Bellamy before she spoke,"Well I can move stuff with that blue energy and also shoot blasts with them—"

Bellamy interrupted Clarke and said,"That's psionic powers. "

"What? How do you know that?"said Clarke in confusion.

"I used to do a lot of reading as a kid and while Octavia and I both enjoyed ancient mythology, I really got into comic books when I was 9 . I read almost every copy of whatever there was on the Ark using my mom's tablet and superhero stuff was in there too."

"Wow, "said Clarke as she imagined the sight, "Bellamy Blake, Comic book addict. Who would have thought ?"

Bellamy looked embarrassed and so Clarke decided to let up on the teasing,"Anyways, other than my psionic powers. I have this automatic self-preservation thing–let's call it Instinct for short. I can control and create fire, earth, lightning and also air and water, but I haven't really had the time to use them. Finally, I also have the healing, but that I – nevermind."

Bellamy was impressed by the amount of what Clarke had mentioned, but he was confused about the jumpiness she was showing after mentioning the healing.

It hit as he said,"You're forgetting that you can steal people's powers. You could steal anyone's powers if you wanted to."

Clarke nodded and said, "Yeah, I know. It's just a lot of responsibility. The funny thing is even if I wanted to I couldn't do it again."

"What are you talking about?"

"When I stole that Grounder's power,"said Clarke slowly as she remembered the day, "It was like I took a backseat in my own body. It was different from Instinct. It felt less...natural and no matter what I know I can't do it on my own again."

Clarke didn't tell Bellamy about the voice she had heard in the back of her mind though. The story sounded crazy enough without adding that into the mix.

"That's strange, "said Bellamy before continuing on to say,"I suppose that's a problem for another day. I'll head out to the cache with Jasper and a couple others at dawn. You're staying here. You need to rest up and stay here. The problem is I don't trust Mbege at all. He's already tried to kill you and if we leave him here who knows what he'll get up to?"

Clarke snorted and said," I wouldn't worry about Mbege. I'll give him and his goons a day to leave. I've been pushing it to the back of my mind, but there are way more than just a couple of people who seem jealous. "

It was something she had noted today especially as she noticed the sneers sent the way of her, Jasper and even Monty. This could be a bigger problem down the line, but for now they had bigger things to worry about.

Clarke stood up and it was only then she felt just how tired she was feeling. She stood up and began to blow out the candles that had been set up throughout the room.

"I'm going to bed,"said Clarke before letting out a yawn,"I've done my rounds for the day. Is there still some food out?"

"Yeah, Raven got you some,"said Bellamy as he followed Clarke out of the dropship.

The two made their way to the tents and eventually Clarke was left to her devices after Bellamy reached his tent. Clarke made her way into her tent and she was surprised to see Raven had already set up her bed and she seemed to be completely out of it.

There was food waiting for her and Clarke smiled at Raven before eating the meat and fruit waiting for her.

It only took her a few minutes and it was with some reluctance that Clarke climbed into her bed.

Clarke sighed as she got comfortable and tried to sleep. Clarke eventually fell into an uneasy rest accompanied by slight twitches and mumbles.

Eventually, Clarke bolted upright and she quickly rose out of her sleeping bag and dug into a small pouch. She pulled out a cherry and quickly ate it.

Clarke went to bed and quickly fell asleep.

She did not see Raven staring at her from her own sleeping bag.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Okay,"said Octavia as she trailed after the group of four in front of her,"What's the plan again?"

Raven pinched her nose and said,"Okay, let's go over this again. Octavia, you're going to go invisible and stay hidden. You'll snipe anyone and just be a distraction. Roma will basically be the one to cause the distraction if things go badly and she'll scream as loud as she can. Lucky for us, she can direct the sound waves away from us for the most part so it'll sting, but we'll be better off than the poor chumps in her way."

"What about you, Bell and Clarke again?"said Octavia as she decided to actually try and remember the plan this time around.

"Simple. We're the heavy hitters, though I can't really use my laser beams and Clarke can't use her fire since I'm pretty sure they had a heavy landing and–"

"The hydrazine!"shouted Octavia excitedly as she recalled one of the key parts of the plan,"Everything will go to shit and we'll only do that if we really screwed the pooch and either you or Clarke will have to blow everything sky high!"

Clarke smiled at Octavia's exuberance and she said,"That's almost right, but we don't want that. That's only if we're severely outgunned and I know I can run fast, but if any of us are too close to the explosion I'm not sure how fast I can get us out of there. "

It was a rudimentary plan at best, but considering the fact that Diana and her rebels were probably hostile it was better than walking in there without a plan.

The raid on the weapons cache had been extremely successful. There had literally been barrels of rifles, bullets and winter blankets. Miller had been put in charge of dispensing the blankets and setting up a guard for the guns.

They hadn't brought any guns since there was always a chance that a bullet that could ignite the hydrazine which was what they were trying to prevent.

"So how do we know they won't try to kill us on sight?"said Bellamy as they approached the area where they believed the Exodus ship to have landed.

"We don't, " said Roma with a smile on her face.

"Amazing,"drawled Bellamy as he looked through the canopy of the forest.

It was after a few more minutes of walking that the trees around them began to fade and a pungent smell filled the air.

"That's hydrazine,"said Raven as she processed the smell,"We're close."

Octavia took the unspoken hint and immediately disappeared from sight. Luckily, the earth below them was firm so she didn't leave any depressions in the ground as she seemed to find an alternative route to the Exodus ship.

As the trees disappeared altogether after a few more minutes of walking and there was only large open land and perhaps half a mile away the Exodus ship sat crumpled like a giant, burnt and crushed soda can with give or take 10 men stationed on the outside of it all with their rifles at the ready all pointed at them.

Clarke walked to the front of the group and said,"They must have seen us coming. Ok guys, fighting isn't preferred. We'll try peaceful first. I'm sure there are some supplies in there we could use."

Bellamy snorted and said,"As long as they don't even think about coming to our camp or that they're the boss of us then it should be fine."

The group eventually reached the nearest guard to them and Clarke said,"We're here to see Diana. My name is Clarke Griffin."

There was silence and no one moved so Raven spoke up,"Aren't one of you idiots going to get her?"

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. The guards all took a step forward and prepared to fire.

The delinquents didn't take well to the threat and Clarke's eyes began to glow blue while the wind began to pick up speed and clouds gathered rapidly above them. The two groups were at a standoff with guns and palms pointed at each other before a voice shattered the tension.

"Well, I see you're enjoying my 7th great grandmother's invention,"said Diana as she took in the aggressive stances adopted by everyone.

"Now there's no need to be so violent, "said Diana as she raised her arm and dutifully her men lowered their rifles. She then pointed up to the sky and said, "I'm no expert, but I'm going to assume that one you is responsible for the storm clouds above us?"

Raven's eyes were a gleaming white, but at Clarke's nod they returned to their normal colour and the gloomy skies rapidly dissipated to reveal the sun once again.

"Now we're all grown here,"said Diana as she walked out the Exodus ship and stopped a few yards away from Clarke," I won't bore you with the details of my little rebellion on the Ark. However, I must say that unfortunately your mother was killed by Marcus before we could come down here."

Raven snorted and said,"Bullshit, Abby was working against you. She told me so before sending me down here."

"That's probably what she wanted you to think. If Abby really was working against me then why was I able to commandeer the Exodus ship? Surely the word of the honourable Abigail Griffin would be enough to get me floated if she even suspected something was wrong?"said Diana before looking at Clarke,"I'm sure that's something your father would agree with Clarke."

Clarke took a step forward and didn't flinch even as the guards all raised their guns towards her.

"Don't you dare speak about my father,"said Clarke tersely as she stared into Diana's blue eyes,"You're just someone who couldn't handle not being I power and would do anything to get even a sliver of it. I wonder how many people you killed and betrayed to land that ship. Raven over there told me that the Exodus ship decoupling was never meant to be a gentle process. You probably killed everyone on board the Ark. Why don't you just cut to the chase and tell me why you wanted to speak to me?"

Diana smirked and said,"Blunt. Just like your mother. Anyways, you are correct. The rebellion had not been nearly as successful as I had hoped. I only got about 30 of my men on the ship. We were getting overwhelmed and well I decided a smaller amount of my men on that ship would save us time to escape and also prolong how long we can use our supplies. Unfortunately, our landing was not ideal and some of us got killed during the entry into the atmosphere and our landing. "

"Get to the point, "said Clarke as she took in the predatory look on Diana's face and ignored the two guards that were getting a bit too close for comfort.

"You said you were meeting with one of the factions of the Grounders to Jaha,"

It was a statement not a question noted Clarke before Diana continued, "I doubt very many of the 100 have activated their powers and if you were to go to war with the Grounders–I imagine you'd be overwhelmed very soon."

Clarke processed the woman's words as she unknowingly hit the hammer on one of Clarke's fears. The Grounders were clearly all warrior tribes and battle was what they did. If you included the fact that they had a lot of experience with their powers on top of that it wasn't pretty.

"I can help you win any war you'd ever be in Clarke. This, "said Diana boldly as she pulled out a soft cover book of moderate thickness," This contains Darah Sydney's notes on every single version of the Darwin nanobots including your own Novus series. You don't understand the amount of power that's at your disposal Clarke. We would rule this world and finally live a life better than the horrid existence on the Ark. I'll give this to you, but all I want is your loyalty. We're all from the Ark. We've been dreaming all our lives to get back to Earth and it wouldn't do if our dreams were shattered by some savages. So, what say you Clarke?"

Clarke paused and she seriously considered Diana's offer despite the glare she could feel from her fellow delinquents. Even if they were vastly outnumbered by the Grounders, the weaponry they had retrieved from the cache was enough to outfit a small army. This too along with those in the 100 capable of mass destruction like herself and Raven were practically worth multiple soldiers in sheer destructive power alone.

That wasn't even combining whoever else in Diana's group had powers or weapons. It seemed like a good deal, but–

"I don't trust you,"said Clarke sharply, "You were to kill over 4000 people just for 30 of your men. You may have weapons, but we do too. You say the Grounders will kill us and you know what ? We'll be fine, it wouldn't be the first time we were supposed to die and it probably won't be the last. My father once told me it doesn't matter how or when someone dies simply how they lived."

The guards surrounding the delinquents were surprised when their rifles were covered in some strange blue energy and wrenched out their hands before they crumpled into little balls of metal.

"And I'd rather die before working with someone like you"spat Clarke before she turned and began to walk away.

It was only once Clarke passed Roma the smirk on Diana's face dropped. the sheer anger on Diana's face. Her cool facade was completely shattered and red began to bleed into her cheeks.

"Roma!"shouted Bellamy as he noted the hostile look in Diana's eyes and the girl nodded before taking a deep breath in. Luckily, Roma was at the front of her group and she let out what was an ear-splitting scream.

The sound waves generated by her scream were actually visible and four guards hadn't reacted quick enough and blood began to leak from their ears in copious amounts. Bellamy had focused on three of the guards and with a clenching of his fist their necks were snapped instantly and they dropped to the ground dead. Raven had also taken care of the guards near to her with a few quick laser blasts that she was careful to make sure were nowhere near touching the hydrazine.

Diana however had somehow generated a large wall of ice and although it was cracked heavily she proved to be fine as she dispelled the ice wall into water and said,"I see. A Duos level power. Did you know that sound with high power like yours tend to bounce off solid objects like metal or indeed ice. It's a shame that you only have such a basic power though. "

The 4 guards that were bleeding from their eats from Roma's assault were suddenly speared by ice spears after a lazy wave of Diana's hand.

"Of course, you had a plan of attack. This is why you send out the pawns first,"said Diana cryptically.

The others were confused by what that meant until a green laser similar to Jasper's own beam of energy went straight through Roma's chest directly over her heart. The beam had been so quick and sudden that Clarke was unable to get close enough to Roma.

Roma fell down and everyone knew instantly that she was dead. Clarke tracked the laser beam and she saw Shumway standing at the entrance of the dropship. It was seemingly Shumway that was the culprit as he still had his palm facing outwards.

Clarke felt anger boil through her entire being as she looked at the dead body of Roma. The girl who's life Clarke had saved and Clarke knew there was no saving Roma now for all her super speed and healing powers there was no cure for death. Roma the girl that had pined after Clarke. Roma the girl that Clarke had begun to like a lot more than she had expected.

A rush of information filled Clarke's head and this time in full control of her body she sped over to Shumway and held him up in the air. Her eyes closed instinctively and she felt the curious sensation of being able to pick at the very being of Shumway's being similar to when she had first stolen the Grounder's power.

This time however Clarke was able to understand more of what she was seeing. It was oddly fascinating to note that she was essentially able to scan and edit the entire makeup of Shumway's body. She found what she looking for however and again pulled on the strands of energy that she recognised as the powers that Shumway was in possession of.

He had fulfilled his potential and she could tell that the two powers he had was the limits of his body's capabilities. She erased the one that she recognised as the one that had killed Roma before stealing the other one. A rush of information came to her head as she suddenly became connected to the Exodus ship.

!*

She severed the connection between her and Shumway and she quickly grabbed his body before using it as a shield. She felt a lot of thuds impact into his body and she threw him aside as she noted the ice shafts buried deep into his back.

Clarke was dimly aware that only about 3 seconds had passed from the time she had first touched Shumway, but that wasn't what she cared about.

Instantly, Clarke had appeared by Diana's side and with a quick kick she had sent the women tumbling across the ground. Clarke didn't give Diana any respite and any time she rolled to a stop she would run to her and kick her away again before repeating the cycle. It was on the fifth cycle that Clarke stopped.

Blood was leaking copiously from Diana's mouth and her left ankle appeared bent out of shape as well as her right wrist. The woman laid helpless before Clarke and an inexplicable hunger filled Clarke.

She pressed down on the woman's head gently and Clarke was filled with information about the injuries that her prey had sustained from the scratches on her back to the bruised and battered organs in her abdomen. Clarke ignored this information and found what she was looking for.

This woman was more impressive than that pathetic man earlier. She had the ability to control water and also had the ability to control ice. However, this woman had the potential to activate 1 more power. Clarke couldn't quite tell what it was only that it was lying dormant.

It was then that Clarke knew how to punish this lady. She had no use for the water ability and so she erased it. The ice ability was stripped and Clarke felt her hunger lift slightly.

Clarke did what she was sure would hurt this woman more than anything. She activated and then stole the dormant power. She was amazed as she processed the new power and from the shaking below it appeared that her prey had realised what it was that had been taken from her. The deep seated hunger Clarke felt was now completely gone and now only the need for vengeance remained.

Clarke reduced the chance of her manifesting any powers even if she took a other injection to exactly zero. The scream that the woman let out was music to Clarke's ears.The screams rose in pitch and intesity before they turned into hoarse groans.

"Clarke?"said a somewhat familiar voice.

Clarke's eyes snapped open and she was overcome by a sudden sense of disgust and vertigo as she snapped out of the haze she was in. She turned to the source of the voice and she was surprised to see a brown haired girl –Octavia –standing before her. The girl looked horrified as she took in the bloody and battered form of Diana.

It was only then that Clarke realised she had kicked Diana well over six hundred metres away from the Exodus ship in total and in her fervent anger, she hadn't even noticed Octavia approach.

She turned towards Diana who was still in visible pain and with a sigh Clarke's hands lit up with green light and she healed the injuries Diana had sustained to the point where she would live. The sound of bones snapping into place barely phased Clarke and before long she knew that Diana would be in decent enough condition to survive.

The others had approached and Bellamy was holding Roma's body in his arms. Clarke took in the peaceful look on the girl's face and she sighed as her heart ached heavily.

Clarke tore her eyes away from the sight and turned to Diana who was still laying on the floor groaning,"I've taken any and all powers you may have had now and in the future. I would kill you, but I think it would be better to let you live with the idea that all your careful planning and schemes resulted in nothing. The plans and dreams you had for the future will never bear fruit and you'll be forever destined to live as the failure that you are."

Clarke's hand began to sparkle with electricity as she approached the immobile form of Diana and she crouched down and said, "May you live forever. "

Clarke pressed her palm to the back of Diana's neck and Diana's body tensed before she fell unconscious. Clarke reached into Diana's jacket pocket and pulled out the book that was in there before she walked past the silent forms of Octavia, Bellamy and Raven.

Clarke had taken Roma's body from Bellamy and they had looted the Exodus ship of anything valuable that they were able to carry on them or (in Bellamy and Clarke's case) telekinetically )which ended up being quite the haul. They had left all the rifles and bullets, but they had taken the shock batons, preserved food and medical supplies before Raven had cut the fuel tanks allowing the hydrazine to spread all over.

They left Diana there lying in the dirt after they had looted the Exodus ship for anything of value. Once they were suitably far enough, Raven dropped what she was holding and pointed both her hands at the husk of the Exodus ship a kilometre away.

She was about to fire, but was interrupted by Clarke,"You're too far away."

Clarke gently laid down Roma before she disappeared in a blur. There was perhaps only a few moments of silence before the largest explosion anyone had ever heard echoed out. The sound sent shockwaves through the ground to where they were and eventually they began to dial down before stopping completely.

Clarke appeared roughly a minute after the tremors had died down and she quickly picked up Roma's body. She focused on the items that she had been carrying using her psionic powers and began to walk back to camp in complete silence at the front of the group. The other three began to follow her after an uneasy exchange of looks.

If anyone had been staring at Clarke's face they would be able to see the tears trailing down her face.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Clarke had just finished digging Roma's grave. She could have used her powers, but she felt that digging the hole without them would be better.

The work was hard and gruelling, but Roma deserved no less. It was Clarke's fault that she had died. If Clarke had been on guard or hadn't provoked Diana then none of this would have happened.

She finally finished and she was able to gently manoeuvre Roma into the grave before she slowly replaced the dirt back into the grave until she was done.

The other graves had a gleaming white headstone with a name carved into them. Clarke stepped on the ground and a perfect headstone made of earth formed at the head of Roma's grave and Clarke laid her hand atop it

Clarke's hand began to glow yellow and she focused on the rock beneath her palm and imagined the smooth and sleek look of marble before she forced that image onto the rock and the headstone was enveloped in the yellow light before the gleam died off and a marble headstone laid there with the words 'Roma Bragg' carved meticulously into it.

Clarke allowed tears to fall for some time before she heard footsteps behind her. She was surprised to see Lincoln, since her Instinct hadn't gone off she remained calm.

"I'm sorry for your loss,"said Lincoln in a genuine tone revealing just how long he had been there,"She must have been very important to you."

"She probably would have been,"said Clarke before she broached the topic that she suspected Lincoln was here for,"What did your leader say?"

"She agreed to meet at the bridge that crosses the river,"said Lincoln before adding,"I'll serve as your guide. No weapons allowed."

Clarke nodded and said,"Thank you. I'll tell the others."

Lincoln nodded and left into the darkness of the woods.

Clarke lingered for longer before she gathered some grains of dirt off of all the graves in front of her. Again, a yellow light covered the dirt in her hand and Clarke felt the dirt in her hand solidify into a small shape.

Clarke regarded the golden ring with a small blood red ruby sticking out the top. She held it between her thumb and index finger.

"I promise that I'll do better ,"said Clarke as she took in the sight of the tombstones bathed in moonlight, "I have failed each and everyone of you. Your blood is on my hands. I'll always have this on me to remind myself of how I've failed all of you. "

Clarke slipped the ring on and she left the clearing. The feelings of sadness were pushed deep into herself and she already began to mentally prepare herself for the meeting tomorrow.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Diana was stumbling through the forests. She had barely been awake when Clarke had picked her up and ran with her to this thick forest. The sound of an explosion going off had woken her up.

It was after the explosion that she had been carried at speeds beyond her comprehension and afterwards she realised that Clarke had taken her someplace.

Diana hadn't been able to get a word in before Clarke had again knocked her out using electricity. Diana had been walking around for long now and she was trapped in the silent forest before she heard sounds of talking.

Diana had taken off after the sound and she heard the sound of people getting louder and louder. It was only once she was close that she realised that the people she had sought after were not speaking English.

There were large men in dilapidated clothing with red markings all over their face and to her horror the men were guiding a group of people whose arms were tied to a log that they were forced to carry.

Diana tried to retreat, but a twig below her foot snapped and the men all looked in her direction at first with anger and then with hunger. Diana felt her knees go weak as the men approached and who she assumed was the leader barked three, peculiar words in a guttural and vicious tone that deeply unsettled her.

"Sis em op."

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**Author Notes:**

**Trigedasleng:**

**Sis em op - Take her**

**Hey guys**

**Here's another chapter. It's the longest chapter I've ever done. Please tell me what you thought of it in the reviwes. I really love to hear feedback from all of you and it really motivates me to work harder when I see people are interacting with my story.**

**Clarke has begun to get a handle on her Novus powers or has she? The book's contents will be for the next chapter as well an appearance by Anya. Sorry if the story isn't moving fast enough for you but some arcs will be quicker than others. I imagine with three chapters I'll have shot past the whole of season 1 and we'll be within season 2 territory by then.**

**Happy 4th of July to all my American readers and please again tell me what you thought of.**

**Also I hope this wasn't too graphic for anyone, its rated M and the 100 the show has had more grisly moments than what was in here, but I hope on one was put off by the violence.**

**R.I.P Roma and Raven and Finn's relationship. I've always felt like Finn would always be unfaithful to Raven whether or not Clarke was in the mix. I don't consider Finn a major character in this story which is why you found out as Raven found out since I only try to do the POVs of important characters.**

**Review, Follow and Favourite please!**

**P.S. Poor Diana... Am I right?**


	7. Schism

**Hey guys here's another chapter. It was great to see the feedback for the last chapter and I'm happy this story is gaining more readers.**

**I'd love to hear what you're all thinking about the story thus far. Reviews seriously inspire to write faster so if it's not too much of a hassle please just tell me what you thought of the chapter. It'll only motivate me to write quicker :)**

**With further ado , here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it.**

**Song rec: Mad World by Gary Jules**

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Clarke walked past the gates to camp and she nodded at Monroe who was on gate duty before she made her way for the dropship.

The upper level of the dropship had become the unofficial meeting point for important matters. In this case, the matter at hand was the book and the meeting tomorrow as well.

Clarke had told the others to round up everyone who had activated or suspected that they had activated powers. Darah's journal probably contained a lot of information and Clarke was planning on reading it and summarising it for everyone who was relevant to the contents of the book in other words anyone who had their powers.

It would probably be a tall order to explain and clarify the contents to 6 or 7 people let alone a 100 so at the moment it was at a need to know basis. Also, it would stand to reason that those who got told now would also tell other people eventually which to Clarke's admittedly painful body sounded like a much better idea than trying to rationalise everything to nearly 100 people at once

Clarke finally reached the dropship and she walked up the ramp and she heard an argument once she had reached the ladder.

"We can all get powers, right?"said Mbege indignantly , "So, I think we should all get a chance to sit in on this meeting. It's bullshit that you think having powers makes you more important than the rest of us."

Raven sighed and said,"Look. Like we told you and everyone else in the camp as much as we would love to sit down and rationalise everything for you, the only person who can understand the contents of that book is Clarke. It's all medical and genetics bull that none of us even get and if Clarke doesn't want to sit down and explain a whole lot of technical crap to everyone in this camp then so be it. You weren't there with us today and believe you me Clarke hasn't had an easy day– none of us have. The rest of us –including Clarke– will help anyone who activates their powers after this meeting. It just makes sense that the ones who actually have powers are here now. So unless you can breathe fire or shit gold please leave."

Clarke heard Octavia explode in laughter and it was then that she decided to intercept before Mbega attacked Raven and probably get himself killed in the process.

As expected, Mbege was standing across from Raven with a murderous look in his eyes. He was so angry that he hadn't even noticed Clarke climb up the ladder or he had simply ignored it.

Clarke sighed wearily and said,"Listen Mbege, like Raven said we're all feeling pretty tired and the last thing any of us need is an argument over this. The people here are here because their powers have activated and with the Grounders circling us we need to know how to defend ourselves because as much as you hate on all of us for being 'special' you know damn well that we are the ones who will have to lead the line in any fight against the Grounders. If you ever activate your powers then I will personally sit you down and explain everything to the nest of my ability. "

The words from Clarke seemed to have nullified Mbege if only slightly and he said,"Alright, I'll leave. Whatever the Princess says goes after all."

He then bumped Clarke's shoulder as he walked past and climbed down the ladder. Clarke rolled her eyes and she sat down opposite the other occupants in the room.

Clarke pulled out the book once she had gotten comfortable and she looked up to see everyone in the room looking at her with a blend of worry and sympathy in their eyes.

It really did mean a lot to Clarke that everyone in the room – even Miller, Harper and Jasper who she hadn't had much contact with – seemed worried about her, but Clarke knew that there wasn't any time for weakness and she decided to put their worries to rest.

"Look guys,"said Clarke as she looked at them," I know what you're thinking and yes Roma and I were more than friends and I am very upset at her death, but I promise I'm handling it."

Clarke paused for a bit to allow her words to settle in and she toyed with her ring for a bit before saying,"I'm still angry at Diana for everything, but trust me when I say she got what she deserved in the end. "

Octavia looked somewhat hesitant as she said,"Did you kill her? Not that I'm judging or think she doesn't deserve it, but–"

"No, Octavia "said Clarke reassuringly to show that no offense was taken,"I didn't kill her. I wanted to, but I think it's better if she lives with the knowledge that everything she had done was all for nothing. Death would have been a mercy she did not deserve."

There was silence after Clarke had spoken and just as it was growing uncomfortable Jasper spoke up and said,"Is that a ring? Where the hell did you get that? I'll trade you like...30 guard shifts for that. I haven't even seen a rusted spoon let alone something like that."

Clarke smiled a little at the words of Jasper before she said,"Well, I'll tell you about it later. Sooner than you think. Anyways, I've already gone over a lot of this and there's a lot to go through so I hope you're comfortable. "

After no one had said anything, Clarke opened the book and said,"Okay, I think first of all what I have to say is that Darah was brilliant. She innovated genetic engineering on Earth and she was a pure genius. She had multiple PhDs in biology, genetics, engineering and zoology. She was really, really smart. "

Raven snorted and said,"Yeah, no shit. I mean I doubt any old dumbass could make something that makes someone be able to shoot beams from their hands or move things with their mind. She was probably the most successful human being ever."

Clarke rolled her eyes and said," Yeah, but strangely enough she wasn't the only super prodigy around. In fact, there's a lot of mention of someone called Becca who was some sort of rival or something, but she barely mentions her at all. The most important thing about this Becca was that she studied pretty much the same stuff as Darah, but Becca was apparently even more successful than Darah was. It turns out that Becca was revolutionary when it came to artificial intelligence and that led to her becoming the richest person alive."

"So you're telling me that there was someone smarter than the person who found a way to give us powers and they were both alive at the same time?" said Monty dubiously.

It was a tough pill to swallow.

"Yeah and Darah didn't like being overshadowed by Becca so that was what ultimately led to her experiments with the American government. You see there had been a lot of people who thought of genetic engineering as immoral and as such Darah didn't have the best of reputations however Becca was praised by virtually everyone thanks to her work in artificial intelligence. In fact, it's some of Becca's early AIs that run a lot of the Ark's processes."

"So basically Becca was this angel while Darah was seen as a monster ?" said Bellamy in question to Clarke who nodded and then Bellamy added,"What experiments?"

"Okay, this is where it becomes less of a biography and we get more in depth on the nanobots. So you see Darah had basically the lead scientist in a project called Project Ascendance. There had apparently been some sort of leak about every army's warfare capabilities and despite a worldwide peace treaty/disarmament being signed the president at the time decided that instead of honouring their treaty they decided to beef up their soldiers which is where Darah came in."

"So, the first nanobots were used on the military of the US? "said Miller as he spoke up for the first time.

Clarke was glad for the question as it was a key part of the story, "Yes, the very first ever nanobots were given to the soldiers, but these were a lot simpler than the ones that were used during the Blight and on us. Darah hadn't quite gotten everything down and it took 449 failures before the first success. Everyone before #450, as Darah called him, died horrific deaths as the serum wasn't perfected and had an extremely high mortality rate."

"449?" said Octavia disgustedly and no one could blame her.

The idea that there was a government willing to allow over 400 of its soldiers to die and there was someone willing to experiment on other human beings really rattled them. It was made worse considering the fact that there was supposed to be peace for the foreseeable future at that time.

"Yes, but she had eventually figured out a way to make even extreme changes to a human's genetic and physical makeup without overwhelming the recipient of this serum. Also, this serum did not actually give the recipient any powers as we think of them, but instead gave them an extreme physical boost. This guy's strength, speed and reflexes were all ridiculous. "

Clarke paused to allow everything to settle in and also see if anyone had questions. It was Harper who spoke up and she remembered Monty saying something about Harper's powers activating on a hunt or something, but she couldn't quite remember what they were exactly.

"Did the military actually use that version of the serum or not once it began to work?"said Harper and it was a question which drew the nods from the others and Clarke suspected she knew what they were thinking.

"No, you see after the first success. A whistleblower had blown the whole thing sky high and somehow before an international court Darah had been acquitted of all charges. The USA, however, had been forced into paying massive reparations to the other countries for violating the treaty and also paid compensation to everyone, including #450, for damages caused,"said Clarke.

"This disgrace was apparently the final straw for Darah and she eventually decided that she was tired of Earth and eventually she became only the second person to have a private space station orbiting the Earth. "

"Second?"said Jasper in confusion.

"Yes, second. Becca beat her to that, but we'll get to that,"said Clarke,"Anyways, Alpha Station on the Ark was actually Darah's private station and it was there where she began working on the earliest version of the nanobots as we know them. So there are quite a few differences between the nanobots and I'll do my best to explain them. You see Darah had continued Project Ascendance on Alpha Station, but she felt bitter about being exposed and villified by virtually everyone so she had decided that she was actually going to sell the completed version of the nanobots to various terrorists organisations and/or governments except this time excluding the United States. "

"So you're telling me her sole motivation for making those things was just to give them to terrorists in the hope that they would take it out on the people who had scorned her? That's one way to get revenge, I guess," quipped Raven in a casual tone that did not at all suit the weight of what she was talking about.

"Yes, but ironically after she had made the Duos version in bulk she had been betrayed by one of her scientists who had actually been working for the government. He had stolen hundreds of vials of the Duos serum for the American government, but he had slipped up in the process and we should be grateful that he had because Darah had managed to convince him to videotape himself saying he worked for the government and the only reason she hadn't been shot out the sky was because she threatened to reveal everything to the rest of the world. If she hadn't gotten that on tape then it was likely that after the Nuclear War that all the astronauts at time might have died since forming the Ark was necessary for everyone to survive and Alpha Station had the most resources by a long way. "

"If all the stations united then why haven't we heard anything about Becca?"said Monty in confusion, "If she's as smart as you're making her out to be surely there would have been records on her or something. Hell, she might have even been Chancellor instead of Darah."

"Do any of you remember the Unity Day story?"said Clarke and she was surprised to hear Octavia pipe up.

"Yeah, I do. Bell used to tell me it whenever I was young," said Octavia and Clarke was glad to see that Octavia didn't appear to be especially angry at Bellamy despite his screw up with the radio. Clarke knew he was probably killing himself over the Culling enough as it was and even Raven didn't have the sneer she had usually had plastered on her face whenever Bellamy's name was mentioned.

"It goes something like this,"said Octavia as she tried to recall the story from her youth,"Long ago, when the Earth was on fire, 12 stations floated through space, all alone. Then one day, Mir floated by Shenzhen, and they realized life would be better together. The other stations saw this, and they wanted to be together too. When all the other stations were joined they called themselves the Ark."

"That's the romantic version we preach about, but remember there weren't just 12 stations,"said Clarke as she waited for the penny to drop.

She saw Bellamy and Raven's faces light up in realisation and she decided to just go for it,"There were thirteen stations remember. We thought the 13th station had been a casualty of the war, but what had actually happened was that the 13th station had decided to not dock with the rest of the Ark and so the Chancellor at the time despite heavy protests from everyone gave the order for Alpha Station to shoot Polaris out of the sky."

Silence.

"Okay,"said Raven ,"So she shot Polaris out the sky and ended up killing the only other rival to her seat and scared the hell out of everyone else on the stations. It's no wonder she stayed Chancellor for so long. Those poor nerds and astronauts were probably beyond scared of her."

Clarke nodded and said,"Essentially, yes. Once the Ark had formed she still continued improving and working on the nanobots including mine which she called Novus. She made more improvements on all three series once the Ark had formed like increasing the success rate and allowing it to be passed down genetically."

"Okay, Princess,"said Finn suddenly,"Enough of the history lesson. What about these nanobots? What are the differences between them? That's why we're right?"

Clarke resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the obnoxious tone in his voice and unsurprisingly Raven's hands were actually twitching once she had heard Finn speak up.

It wasn't the time for an argument so Clarke spoke up before she would have to end up healing someone,"I was getting to that. Anyways, now that you know what kind of a twisted and genius Darah is it should help you understand who would make such a thing. What they do though is extremely interesting."

"You see, Darah had suspicions that the Earth was still inhabited by other people. There hadn't been any successful radio attempts according to her notes, but the reason she had essentially poisoned everyone with the Primus and Duos was to arm the citizens of the Ark. Darah may have been spied on by the US military, but she too had her own spies and she had found out about something called Project Everyman. Essentially, the US had used the stolen Duos versions of the nanobots and also made them able to be passed down genetically and also had poisoned a large portion of the population with them. This was apparently the last line of defence that the United States had and there was supposed to be a way to control those with the nanobots as well, but that was never developed because of the war. "

"So you're saying the government had planned to use their entire population as a form of last resort army?"said Miller, "That's twisted."

"Yeah, well now we at least know how the Grounders got their powers,"said Bellamy as he cradled his forearm that had been broken against the first Grounder he had fought.

"It all leads back to Darah basically, "said Harper,"But could we get an explanation on what the powers are meant to do or something?"

"Okay, I was getting to that,"said Clarke before adding, "Darah had basically forced everyone aboard the Ark when she was in charge to at one point or another to consume the Primus or Duos serums. The thing is though was that if one had taken the serum then not only was it likely that they would activate powers, but if one either had a child or ate the flesh of someone with powers then that would also essentially ensure one had the capacity to obtain their powers. She had used more Primis serums which were brown in colour than she had Duos which we all know are silver because she was basically thinking of things in terms of a food cycle of sorts."

"Food cycle?"said Jasper in confusion and he wasn't the only one that looked confused.

"That's the closest thing I could compare it to. You see the serums were actually never meant to be taken in the same generation. The Primus serums were made to do the initial genetic alterations and hardening and they also never gave the physical boost that some of us got. The Duos serum was meant to both gift the user with a Duos level power whilst also giving immense physical enhancements. The Primus series had a tendency to generate powers that while useful were not actually suited for combat."

"Like invisibility or plant creation, "said Monty.

"Yes, but since our earlier ancestors had all come into contact with Primus and Duos series the tertiary function of the Duos was revealed. You see the Primus serum despite everything could never gift multiple powers so the idea was to allow the Primus alterations to be passed down before one would take the Duos series. This was because the Duos was a heavy strain on the body. The part where it gets interesting though is how the numbers of powers one activates is chosen. The strain of having multiple powers was a concern to Darah so she had coded the nanobots to gauge not only how much strain a body could handle, but also there is apparently some sort of X-factor within the body that in Darah's words separates the wheat from the chaff. Basically, the amount of powers you can develop depends on your body's ability to handle the strain as well as how much more exceptional you are."

"So you're telling me that these things can somehow measure our potential or something?"said Raven and it was a fair question.

"I think that was the effect that Darah was going for. I don't know whether the method used is infallible or not however and it's not really mentioned, but that's beside the point. The thing I find interesting is that the nanobots tend to give you a power that is suited to your personality. It doesn't always happen, but it is a pretty common occurrence apparently more so with the Duos. Finally, the last part on the Primus and Duos is on their weaknesses and limitations. In general, the Primus abilities tend to be not directly linked to combat. Darah had focused more on the genetic hardening aspect and essentially laying the foundation for the Duos serum so while not all Primus abilities were not meant for battle, most if not all abilities that are not meant for battle are in fact Primus abilities which is important since apparently physical trauma is what causes one to lose control of their Primus abilities, but it doesn't quite give clear examples on that. "

Octavia had been silent and processing the volumes of information before she suddenly said,"Oh! I think I know what you're talking about. When those bastards abducted me, I got blown through a whole lot of trees and even though my armour was up I couldn't even move and the last thing I remember is my invisibility flickering on and off without me trying to do anything. "

"Thanks, O. The next one is pretty important since pretty much everyone here has at least one Duos ability activated. The weakness of the Duos had to do not with the body, but more with the mind. The explanation states that when one hasn't mastered their Duos power and they experience extreme emotional highs then their powers would tend to run wild. Like..."

Here Clarke paused awkwardly as she realised just who was in the room and she stared at Raven who seemed to have reached the same realisation as her,"Like how I changed the weather from rainy to sunny when I landed and saw Finn."

To Clarke's slight surprise, she saw a downcast look appear on Finn's face at Raven's words, but apparently Raven wasn't done as she added in a voice that was deceptively void of emotions, "Or how I started a mini-hurricane in the woods when I found out Finn was cheating on me."

Instantly, the atnosphere in the room became awkward. In Clarke's eyes, it felt more mortifying than the time her parents had caught her making out with a girl in her room a few years back and this time Clarke wasn't even directly linked to the situation.

"Uhm, yeah. So anyone with Duos powers has to practice with their powers or you could end up hurting others or yourself. There also appears to be a general guide to measure the general limits and versatility of powers. There seems to be three tiers of how one controls their power and in general the higher your tier, the more you can do. If a power is localised around one set of organs, aside from the hands, then that is the lowest level like Jasper's heat vision or , uhm, Roma's scream. The middle tier is powers that are controlled by your hands specifically and these powers tend to have more use and firepower. This would be like Raven's laser beams or Bellamy's telekinesis. The highest level is anything that is controlled by your mind or some sort of mental trigger and these while not necessarily have the most power they are the most versatile. This is the tier that also allows one to directly affect other people or objects. This is like Finn's intangibility or Octavia's armour and invisibility. In all probability, Octavia could learn how to hide things with her invisibility or crystallise things like how Finn has already done."

Octavia looked pretty upbeat at the information and Clarke was sure Octavia probably had all sorts of ideas swirling in her head. The others were also pondering on the information they had learned and suddenly a bout of nervousness overcame Clarke as she realised she would have to tell them about what she had learned about the Novus serum.

The things she had learned about the serum had honestly amazed and terrified Clarke at the power she literally had available to her. The Novus was a whole new level of genius and insanity and while she was sure the others had some idea of what the Novus serum enabled her to do there was actually a lot more than Clarke had been expecting.

Clarke had been so focused on the Novis series that she hadn't realised everyone was waiting expectantly before Jasper coughed loudly and obnoxiously to get her attention.

Clarke jilted at the noise and when she finally snapped out of her daze she found the others all staring at her,"Right, sorry I drifted off. Anyways, I think it's time I tell you about the Novus serum. In Darah's notes, she never mentioned having ever taken a Primus or Duos serum and the reason for that was because this was the one she intended to take for herself, but she died before taking it."

Everyone was looking at her with focused eyes and Clarke began to toy with the ring on her finger. The motion settled her nerves and Clarke decided to just bite the bullet and get it over and done with.

"You see Darah had worked on all three strains simultaneously however Darah knew that she would probably become a massive target and she needed something to defend herself with and in all likelihood against others with powers. So Novus was at it's base designed as a hard counter to the Primus and Duos whilst also being superior at the same. That's why I'm a lot stronger and faster than everyone else by a long way and I think it was also a middle finger to the people who had stopped Project Ascendance, but it doesn't stop there. "

Clarke cleared her throat and with more confidence then she felt said,"So I'm sure you all remember how Darah had made the best gene editing available? Well, what pretty much everyone didn't know was that she had made even greater strides in that field. You see Novus is vastly different from the other two serums and that's why the serums were likened to a food chain. The Primus are similar to plants in that they aren't capable of much other than what their bodies do to survive. This is also why the body is the weakness of the Primus. It was purposeful by Darah since she knew that if someone to include the weaknesses ever betrayed her then she would have a way to subdue them. The Duos, on the other hand, would be the herbivores in that with their more combat inclined powers and increased physical capabilities they would be able to counter and subdue anyone with a Primus power. Therefore, following the food cycle method, Duos were essentially the herbivores and carnivores of the food cycle depending on how strong the individual was. The mind or emotions affecting the Duos powers wasn't intentional by Darah and so she decided to opt for a more sure fire way of being able to beat Duos powers and so she put all of what she had learnt in her life to the stress to make Novus which is the animal at the top of the food chain. The nanobots in the first two serums only ever ran once and made the changes before shutting down. "

"The Novus nanobots, on the other hand, don't ever stop running. Darah believed that versatility and adaptability were the bare bones of surviving anything and so Novus was initially made to account for any situation. Unfortunately, the computing power to process every single possible power that could appear and then manifest something to counter it was astronomical and only achievable in far too long a period of time. So, Darah decided that instead of being able to counter every power she would face, she would rather be able to steal powers instead."

The silence in the room was deafening and it was finally broken by Raven's shocked voice,"You can steal powers?"

The others – except for Bellamy and Octavia – looked just as surprised at these turn of events and Clarke nodded and said,"Yes, amongst other things. I can sense how many powers you have active or dormant and I can also activate them."

This time even Bellamy and Octavia were surprised and it was the latter that spoke up,"That's what you were doing to Diana when I found you. She was crying out in pain and you were just hovering over her and you were smiling Clarke. You didn't even hear me call your name like five times."

Clarke sighed at the wary and surprised looks everyone was giving her and she cursed Octavia's inability to keep quiet. It was extremely concerning to find out that Octavia had been right there and Clarke hadn't even noticed, but that was beside the point.

"I was pretty angry at the time. She's the reason Roma and who knows how many other people on the Ark are dead. So if any of you think I'm a monster who's about to attack you or something you can calm down. I'm still me,"said Clarke with equal parts incredulity and anger," If I wanted to steal any of your powers or something I would have by now. You guys trust me right?"

The tension in the room was thick and despite herself Clarke felt more than just a little hurt when no one spoke for a few moments, but it was Raven who broke the silence that was beginning to descend on the room.

"Clarke,"said Raven with more trepidation than Clarke had ever heard in the girl's voice,"Your hand."

It was then and only then that Clarke realised her hand was pointing at the others with blue energy rolling off her palm. Clarke lowered her hand shakily until it was at her side again.

The tears came without warning and they were suddenly pouring out of Clarke's eyes. Clarke looked at her hands and they were trembling.

All she could see was the beam shooting straight through Roma's heart. The scream Roma had let out was echoing through her ears like a haunting and constant melody. The signs of life slowly fading from Roma's were stuck on an endless loop within Clarke's mind.

The haunting scenes fled from her mind when she felt something warm embrace her. Clarke opened her eyes and she was surprised to find that the mechanic had pulled her into an embrace.

It had been perhaps only seconds since Clarke had lowered her arm and yet it had felt like a lifetime.

"Clarke, we all trust you,"said Raven soothingly as she pulled the younger girl closer to her,"We're just worried about you. You're trying to close yourself off and act like everything's fine, but it's not. Roma died not even a few hours ago. You buried her one hour ago. No one here will judge you or anything if you need time to mourn. She was your friend Clarke and so are we. We're all here for you no matter what you need."

Clarke felt her heart clench at the words Raven said and she took a deep breath and stepping back from the hug and said," Thanks, Raven, but I'm fine. Trust me. I trust all of you and despite the short time we've been on the ground. I do trust all of you. It gets hard, sometimes, to know that I have all this strength available. I can punch people through trees and shoot fire from my hands and heal broken bones with a touch, but even then Roma died under my watch and it's my fault."

Raven was about to speak, but Clarke raised her hand to stop her,"It was my fault. I didn't even bother to think there were other Guards at the Exodus ship or that Diana might aim for someone other than me. I was arrogant and stupid and naive. "

Clarke was now taking her time to look at everyone in the room in the eyes as she said," There's a good chance that everyone on the Ark is dead. Tomorrow we're going meeting with the Grounders to negotiate peace and if we don't come to an agreement we're surrounded by who knows how many superpowered Grounders that were born and bred for combat since they were kids. Let's not forget that all we have to fight against them are us and a bunch of teenagers who have never shot a rifle in their lives. I was given that gold serum for a reason and I'll be damned if anyone – Grounder or not – thinks that I'll just roll over without a fight. "

Clarke paused for a second to compose herself and she said,"Starting from tomorrow everyone is learning how to shoot rifles. There needs to be mandatory guard and hunting duty for everyone. If people have a problem with that then they can leave. This isn't the Ark. We need to change and adapt and evolve or else we'll waste away and die. We're meeting with the Grounders tomorrow at a nearby bridge. No weapons. Lincoln will come and guide us to it. Tell everyone who's on guard duty to not attack him. Bellamy and Octavia will come with me and I'll need the rest of you to keep control of camp. If anyone slacks off, they're exiled. If anyone tries to fight, they're exiled. We'll give whoever wants to leave a gun and rations and they can go wherever they want. The last thing we need is to be fighting amongst ourselves. "

It was as if a switch had been flipped and Clarke had gone from a genetics geek to a leader in an instant. The others began to file out leaving Clarke alone.

The notes had gone into detail about how the powers usually activated when the user was in danger such as when Roma had almost been killed the first time around by Grounders or it happened spontaneously.

Clarke couldn't in her right mind throw teens into conflict with aninals or sit around waiting for their powers to activate, but she didn't have much of a choice.

Activating Diana's dormant power, which was essentially the ability to convert matter from one substance to another, had actually been taxing not just on Diana, but on Clarke.

It had taken all of her willpower to not collapse from the sheer pain and exhaustion she had felt at the time. The in-depth analysis that the Novus gave Clarke – Insight for lack of a better term– into Diana's body had shown extreme levels of stress being exerted onto Diana's body and in fact, Diana had been lucky to not have her body torn apart from the stress.

It was why Clarke wouldn't dare to try it on anyone of the 100 at least until she got better at it, but that was a long way off.

It would probably be a good idea, though, if Clarke could use Insight to see who and how many powers everyone could activate. Those who weren't able to manifest any powers at all would be kept inside the camp where they'd be safest.

It would ruffle some feathers, but like a part of Darah's journal had said. Humans can't be trusted to know what's best for them.

If there was a part of Darah's way of life that Clarke agreed with then that was it.

"You probably get a kick out of that, don't you?" said Clarke to the empty room.

There was no response and Clarke sighed before she blew out every candle in the room. She shut the hatch and climbed down the ladder.

Clarke eventually reached her tent and she decided to forgo dinner and just get ready for what could shape up to be a long day.

She pulled her ring off and she placed it underneath her pillow where she also kept her father's watch.

Clarke hadn't worn the watch since she had killed the first Grounder. It somehow seemed wrong to wear the watch while she killed other people and maybe if they got peace with the Grounders then she would be able to put it on again.

The other, less depressing reason Clarke didn't wear the watch was because of the little experiment she had been working on whenever she had had the time.

Clarke took off the long sleeve jacket she was wearing and folded it before finally sitting down on a chair salvaged from the dropship.

She ran her fingers over the small depression in the metal of the chair as she remembered the first time she had activated her powers.

To Clarke's slight shame, she hadn't quite told everyone everything the Novus enabled her to. She was probably doing a disservice to Raven, Bellamy, Monty and Octavia, but although she didn't quite have anything against Miller, Jasper and Harper it was Finn that worried her.

She was quite aware of the looks of disdain and disgust the boy sent her way as well as Raven, Bellamy and Octavia. It irked Clarke as she suspected the reason he was doing his best to kill them with glares and sneers was due to the fact that the four of them had at one stage or another killed.

It irritated Clarke that Finn only saw them as monsters and truthfully it was quite pathetic as well. For all his heroism and bravado, Finn wasn't quite able to walk the talk. He had ran away in their second encounter with the Grounders and when they were looking for Octavia he had frozen in shock during a battle.

He would have probably gotten himself killed if Bellamy hadn't been there after Clarke had been blown away by one of the Grounders.

It was also why he wasn't coming along since tomorrow because if things got hairy then Finn would be dead weight in a fight.

Clarke shook her head and instead lifted her left hand up to eye level. The Novus was said to offer greater flexibility in the abilities that were given to the user. Any power she stole could only be used just above it's usual constraints however the powers Novus bestowed.

The prime example was evident as a flower made of ice appeared in midair before disintegrating into steam moments later. Diana had only been able to make basic shapes using ice from what Clarke had seen using Insight and the ice flower that Clarke had made would have been out of Diana's immediate reach if she had her powers.

On the other hand, the powers that the Novus gave her such as the elements control could be taken to the extreme.

Case in point, Clarke held up her hand it ignited into fire, but Clarke knew it wasn't that simple. It was like her fire had become fire itself like Octavia or Miller's respective armours. Clarke didn't exactly use this since the last thing she wanted was for her clothes to get burnt and then she'd end up being naked wherever she had decided to turn herself into fire.

So, basically a bad idea.

There was a voice inside Clarke that said she could transform her clothes into a material that worked seamlessly with her powers in matter the situation, but Clarke ignored that voice.

Clarke yawned suddenly and feeling the pains and aches of the day washing over her Clarke ìn what was unfortunately becoming more and more necessary by the night she reached into her makeshift sac and she ate the cherry her fingers had latched onto.

It was only moments after eating the cherry that Clarke felt the arms of sleep envelop her and she fell asleep soundly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Are you sure this is still a good idea?"said Bellamy as he stood at the the top of the dropship's ramp alongside Clarke.

Clarke nodded and said, "We need to know who can manifest powers and who can't. The best way to activate powers is either through an emotional high or in a life or death situation otherwise it's sporadic like with Miller, Jasper and Monty and no one else has shown any signs of activating powers beside Harper and that was because she had been attacked by a river snake."

Bellamy sighed and said,"I still don't think it's such a good idea to do this all publicly. I'm sure some people won't take too kindly to finding out that they can't activate any powers like the rest of us. Anyways, I'll be at the back of the line."

The majority of what had been discussed yesterday had been shared with the rest of the camp with the exception of most of what Clarke's abilities entailed except for obviously being able to gauge how many powers an individual had.

The reaction to the thought that Clarke could literally steal everyone's powers would probably not go down so well especially with people that were not partial to Clarke.

"Okay, guys form a line. I'll put my hand on your head and the number I tell is how many powers you can get. If you have any active powers, I'll be able to tell you what they are and how many you have active, but if they are not active then I can only tell you how many, if any, powers you may have."

The anticipation in the air was palpable and Clarke almost winced as she heard everyone begin to talk about what they wished they had or what they thought they had. It was rather upsetting to know that Clarke was going to be the one to burst quite a few bubbles today.

The chatter continued even as the first delinquent began to walk up the ramp. Clarke smiled at Monroe before she placed her hand atop the girl's head.

There was a sudden lull in the camp as Clarke closed her eyes and focused. It was maybe ten seconds later that Clarke opened her eyes and said,"You have no active powers."

The smile on Monroe's face dropped, but it returned as Clarke said,"However, you have two dormant powers. You'll need to join the hunting parties and begin combat training with Miller when I leave that should hopefully nudge you closer to activating your powers."

The others had also agreed it was extremely unsafe for Clarke to try and forcibly activate their powers especially since it had had a detrimental effect on Diana and the risk wasn't worth it.

The crowd seemed excited and the chatter began to rise. Clarke rolled her eyes as she saw Mbege was the next one to step up. He walked with swagger and practically strutted up to Clarke.

He looked at her with a condescending smile and said,"I guess you won't be leader much longer when everyone here finds out how much stronger I am than you, Princess"

Clarke sighed through her nose and without another word placed her hand atop Mbege's head. It was mere seconds later that Clarke removed her hand and with a neutral, almost robotic tone that was in sharp contrast with how Clarke felt on the inside she spoke up.

"Zero. Dormant or active powers,"

The smile that Mbege was wearing washed away slowly before his face settled into an angry and annoyed expression,"You're fucking lying."

The furious expression Mbege wore only increased as the delinquents behind him jeered and laughed at his misfortune. It was probably made worse by Raven, who was taking notes at the foot of the ramp, literally snorting before letting out loud peals of laughter.

Clarke shook her head at the sight of Raven and said,"I promise you. There was nothing when I checked. I wouldn't lie about this."

Mbege still looked unconvinced and Clarke sighed and said, "Do you want me to scan again?"

A vehement nod was her answer and again Clarke activated Insight, but there was no change at all. Mbege's body had rejected the nanobots and as such he hadn't been bestowed any power at all.

"Still nothing,"said Clarke as she pulled away from Mbege.

Mbege left with a huff and he shoved hi way through the crowd. The atmosphere was decidedly more subdued than before as people realised that they might actually not have any powers and Clarke simply prepared herself for the worst.

It took roughly another 30 minutes before Clarke was finished with everyone and the results were abysmal to say the least.

Of the 95 people in the camp , a resounding 77 had no powers at all. Clarke had double and even triple checked a lot of the delinquents, but it appeared that the genetic editing done after the Blight had actually been more damaging than expected.

It was time for Clarke to go through those that had actually exhibited powers and the majority of the delinquents hung around just to see if the whole thing had been false or not.

Clarke had spoken to everyone beforehand and said that they should give everyone solid proof that she wasn't lying to the delinquents.

It would also probably lift the morale of everyone that there were people who had active powers. There were 7 who all had one dormant power. The only person who had multiple dormant powers was Monroe, in fact.

Finn decided to be the first to step up and it was a somewhat comical sight to see Clarke strain somewhat to reach the top of Finn's head.

Clarke used her Insight and she turned to Raven who was still dutifully taking notes,"Finn Collins, two. Intangibility and dormant."

Raven took it down without a fuss although Clarke was sure there were hints of a frown on her face. It probably didn't sit well with Raven that she probably had the same amount of powers as Finn.

Finn turned intangible and proved it by walking away from Clarke and then walking directly through the crowd of delinquents.

Miller stepped up and again the same process repeated itself. Name, surname, powers and then demonstration.

"Nathan Miller, two. Metal armour and dormant."

" Jasper Jordan , two. Heat vision and dormant. "

"Harper MacIntyre, two. Uh, Animal control and dormant."

Monty stepped up and Clarke scanned him and she couldn't fight her smile as Monty danced after she spoke,"Monty Green , 2. Plant/Fruit creation and dormant. "

"Fuck you, Jasper! " shouted Monty as he held his middle fingers aloft,"Who's farmer boy now?"

Jasper looked nonplussed and shouted,"It's still you! You're still the farmer boy, man!"

As if to Monty further, Jasper held up the raw meat he was holding and two quick beams of light later, a perfectly cooked slice of deer was in Jasper's hands.

He took a huge bite and said,"Until you can do this, you still suck."

Clarke smiled broadly at the exchange between the two. She turned to face Bellamy who had strode up the stairs and he looked at Clarke expectantly.

Clarke placed her hand on Bellamy's head and after a few seconds she jerked back and the surprise on her face was clear as day.

"Bellamy Blake, 4. Telekinesis and three dormants."

Raven looked surprised and all but shouted, "What the fuck? This chump has four? I'm sorry Clarke, but I think you need to go in for repairs."

Bellamy smiled at the news and was in a much happier mood than anyone else had seen him in a while. He flicked his wrist and laughed as Raven's notebook flew to his waiting hand. He played around with before giving it back to a rather perturbed mechanic.

The rest of the delinquents seemed to enjoy the by play and the mood was already lifting as the antics of the others seemed to melt the disappointment of not having powers aside.

Octavia was next and she practically skipped her way up the ramp and stood in front of Clarke. Clarke put her hand on Octavia's head and after a few seconds let go.

"Octavia Blake, four–"

Clarke was cut off by a squeal from Octavia and Octavia clearly happy about the news hughed Clarke and spun her around in a circle.

Clarke broke free from the hug and said,"Like I was saying. Octavia Blake, four. Invisibility, Crystal armour and control and finally two dormants."

Octavia seemed stoked about having four powers which was a sharp contrast to Bellamy who looked pretty upset that his sister would probably be facing the front lines more than he would like.

Octavia turned her armour on and then turned invisible. She appeared again a second later and she looked at her brother directly before smiling widely.

Finally, it was down to the last person and Raven stood up before walking up to Clarke. When Raven was close to Clarke she said soft enough for only Clarke to hear,"I swear if I don't have the same amount of powers as Finn then the universe hates me."

Clarke smiled slight and she scanned Raven quickly and she said,"Okay, last note for the book. Raven Reyes, four. Weather manipulation, Laser beams and two dormants. "

Raven smiled at Clarke and said ,"Maybe the universe isn't all bad. "

Raven was about to do her demonstration, but she was cut off by Clarke grabbing onto her hands,"I don't think your powers are the best for demonstration. They're pretty destructive. "

Raven sighed and said, "Whatever, Griffin. I was doing what you told me to. It's not my fault my awesomeness is too much to handle. Anyways, I think you're forgetting someone to scan."

Clarke realised who Raven was referring to and said,"I'm not even sure I can use this on myself."

There were others who were listening to their conversation and it was Mbege who shouted,"Hey, Princess. We all want to know how many powers the Ark gave their precious princess."

Clarke ignored the jibe and instead decided to just bow to their whims. Clarke closed her eyes and simply focused her Insight ability inwards.

Clarke was surprised to be able to perceive how the Novus nanobots were running even as she was standing there. To her surprise, however she didn't quite manage to isolate the part of her being that represented her powers out. In fact, although Clarke was somewhat able to perceive the fact that she could activate more powers, she was surprised to find that she wasn't able to activate them at all or even give them a slight nudge like she had done for everyone else.

Clarke had made the executive decision to loosen the knots that were the dormant powers once she had realised just how few of them actually had powers. It wasn't taxing at all on Clarke and probably didn't hurt anyone else she had tried it on.

However, when she tried to loosen the knots she vaguely recognised as her own dormant powers they held firm. Even trying to unlock them fully produced no discernible effect.

The thing that stuck out though was that it felt like there was no limit to how many Clarke could activate. Clarke felt like that wasn't quite the right explanation and despite herself she couldn't quite put words to what she was perceiving.

Clarke was about to turn off Insight, but ine thing drew her attention that shocked and it was–

!*

Instantly, Clarke's eyes snapped open and she caught the rock sailing at her head. She wasn't quite sure where it came from and from the looks of it neither did Raven.

The crowd of delinquents around were silent and Clarke crushed the rock in her hand to pieces.

"Okay, show's over. You guys know the deal. We still need as much of you to get as combat ready as possible just in case. If you have a problem with what we're doing then the gates are right there."

There were various murmurs, but no one spoke and the crowd parted seamlessly to allow Clarke to walk through it.

Raven was following in her wake and Clarke heard a commotion from deeper in the woods. Clarke sped away in a blur and she rushed to the sound only to find Lincoln being held at gunpoint by Diggs while Octavia tried to get then to stand down.

"Oh thank God, Clarke"said Octavia from her position between Lincoln and the two other delinquents, "Please tell this fool to stand down. He almost shot Lincoln without even thinking. "

Diggs for his part shouted loudly,"I don't care. The Grounders killed Atom. He was my only friend. I don't give a shit about orders. Do you think the Grounders even hesitated before slashing his throat?"

Diggs had shouted loud enough for the delinquents to begin to gather and Clarke felt her ire rise as the delinquents abandoned their posts at the designated training pits to see what it was all about.

"Stand down, Diggs,"said Clarke coldly as she focused the ire she felt at the rest of delinquents into her voice.

Diggs wasn't at all phased by Clarke's words and still held his rifle at the steady and said,"Fuck you. I'm blowing this Grounder to hell."

Octavia turned her armour on and was ready to attack, but she was too slow as the rifle let out a sharp crack.

Octavia had blinked on reflex and fearing the worst she turned to Lincoln, but she was surprised to see him unharmed. Octavia turned back to Diggs and she was surprised at what she saw.

Clarke stood with her hand on the barrel and forcing it to point upwards. She wrenched the rifle from Diggs' hands and slammed the butt of the rifle into his nose.

Diggs let out an audible groan from the floor as he cradled his bleeding nose. Clarke stood over him and said,"I said stand down."

The vast majority of the delinquents had seen the entire exchange and the gunshot was likely to attract more attention.

"See that?" said Mbege as he pointed towards Clarke,"Princess over here is making friends with the Grounders and beating us up and do you know why?"

The murmurs in the crowd were getting progressively louder and Mbege seemed be feeding off the energy,"It's because she thinks she's better than us. She has powers so she's special while she goes and plays princess and meets with the Grounders , we're stuck here slaving away and why? Because she and her attack dogs said so!"

Octavia was about to step forward, but she was stopped by Clarke's grip on her wrist,"Don't. You're giving him what he wants. "

Mbege had noticed the interaction and said, "You see? Her dogs bow and listen to her every command. I don't know about you, but I got enough of that on the Ark. I'm tired of listening to people who call the shots just because of their privilege."

Sections of the crowd let out a loud roar and Mbege seemed to want to end his speech as he said," I bet they even gave us broken injections on purpose just because we aren't as important as their precious Princess over there. Well I'm tired of people telling me I'm not good enough and I'm sure you guys are too. I say we leave this camp and set up our own! No rules. No forced duties! We can just do whatever the hell we want."

Octavia sighed at the last sentence and said,"I think we found our new Bellamy. "

It went mostly unheard by Clarke who had enough and said,"Look, I won't force any of you to stay. If you want to leave with Mbege then leave. I won't stop any of you and we'll give each of you enough supplies for a week. We'll give only a few of you guns. When you realise that the grass isn't greener on the other side then you're welcome to come back."

Mbege looked pleased and said, " Fair enough. We'll leave in an hour. Also, when you guys get tired of following Princess's every wish and command you can come join our camp."

There were cheers after Mbege had spoken and after the crowd had dispersed, only Clarke, Octavia and Lincoln were left standing there.

"Was that really a good idea?"said Octavia as she turned to Clarke,"Who knows what trouble they could get up to on their own? You should have–"

"Forced them to stay?"countered Clarke," They're more than just a few people who are bitter over not having any powers. It would have only gotten worse as more and more people activated their powers. It's better to cut off the infected flesh than to ignore it and let it fester."

"Okay, fine, but what about what's out there? We don't know if all of those traitors are roaming around who knows what else is out there?"said Octavia less heatedly than she had before.

Clarke turned to Octavia and said,"That's what the gun are for. Lincoln, I'm guessing we need to leave?"

Lincoln nodded and said,"Yes, we need to be at the bridge soon."

Clarke nodded and said,"I'm getting Raven and Bellamy. I'm sure they must have heard about what happened here so they're probably ready to leave."

"Raven and Bellamy? Isn't that a bit much?"said Octavia, but she flinched as heard Clarke's parting statement.

"It wasn't enough to save Roma,"said Clarke curtly before she turned and walked back into camp.

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"So, who exactly are we meeting with?" said Raven as they approached the bridge.

They had set off after Mbege and his crew had left. A staggering 49 people had left and perhaps the biggest surprise was that five of the 49 had dormant powers. All five were pretty lazy and despite having powers, they seemed gutted when they were told they have to do daily combat training and hunting until their powers activated.

"Heda's presence is required in Broadleaf territory so we're meeting with Anya – Heda's mentor,"said Lincoln in response to Raven,"She has a lot more sway than most of the Trikru so she can negotiate on Heda's behalf. The bridge is only a few minutes away. "

Clarke was walking beside Lincoln at the front of the group and said,"Okay, guys listen. This is supposed to be a peaceful negotiation so we shouldn't be hostile. If things go badly then we need to do what we must to all get away. "

Octavia nodded and said,"Let's hope it doesn't get to that."

They reached a break in the woods and finally the bridge appeared. It was rusted and worn down from centuries of being exposed to the weather.

There was no one there and the party of five stepped onto the bridge. A noise from the other side of the bridge drew everyone's attention and they were amazed to see two horses galloping with their riders perched on their saddles.

They were followed by a large, black horse that carried a woman with rather regal features. The woman drew to a stop and it was only then that Clarke noticed the bows the two riders were carrying.

"I thought you said no weapons,"said Bellamy as he glared at Lincoln.

Lincoln didn't seen bothered by the glare and said,"I was told there wouldn't be. "

Anya got off her horse and Clarke began to walk forward. Bellamy tried to follow, but he was stopped by Lincoln who said,"Only her."

The walk to Anya couldn't have been a couple of yards, but to Clarke it felt like one of the longest walks of her life. Eventually, she stood in front of Anya and especially up close the woman gave off an aura of strength and leadership.

"You must be the one they call Clark,"said Anya in neutral tone as she stared into Clarke's eyes.

Clarke knew that the Grounders respected power so she did her best to appear unfazed by Anya and said,"Yes, I am. You must be Anya."

The silence in the air hung for a few seconds before Anya spoke,"That's correct. Tell me what is that you seek to achieve with this meeting?"

The slightest hints of hostility and into Anya's eyes even though her voice betrayed nothing.

"I'm sure Lincoln must have told you that my people weren't born on Earth and we actually come a space station that was built before the bombs fell. We were sent here as an experiment to see if the Earth is survivable. When we landed we got attacked by outcasts of the Trikru and Lincoln helped us find one of our own who had gotten kidnapped by them. It was then that we learnt more about the clans and the coalition and we would like to hopefully enter into an alliance."

If there was anything that Clarke was expecting, it definitely was for Anya to explode in laughter. The laugh was anything, but encouraging however.

Anya stopped laughing and she stalked closer to Clarke. Her eyes were radiating anger as she said,"An alliance? You want an alliance after you fired those missiles that burnt down an entire village? "

Clarke was confused until she caught onto what Anya was saying,"Those weren't missiles. They were flares. We had to signal to our people in the sky that it was safe for them to come down."

The words did nothing to reduce Anya's anger as she said," It does not matter what you intended to do. Mistake or not. You burnt down an entire village. You set off a large bomb and the Maunon raided one of our villages due to your actions. You standing here after all this just tells me you started a war you don't how to end. "

"A war?" said Clarke incredulously, " We don't want a war. We just want to try and get along. My people have elite soldiers. They have guns and better technology than what I've seen from the Grounders. They will kill you if we go to war. That's the last thing I want. We just want to find a way we can live side by side."

Anya seemed to contemplate Clarke's words, but Clarke felt her heart sink as she heard the crack of a rifle and a bullet went straight through the head of one of Anya's guard. There were more shots fired and Clarke was surprised to see bodies fall from the tree line on Anya's side of the bridge.

Clarke looked around behind her and she was surprised to see Diggs and Pascal standing at the tree line down below the bridge and there was smoke wafting off of the end of Diggs' muzzle.

There was another crack and this time the bullet was headed for Lincoln, but Clarke had already started running as soon as she had seen Pascal aim his rifle.

The bullet was on a beeline to Lincoln's chest and as Clarke ran she was able to perceive everything at a higher rate than usual. It was this added ability of her super speed that allowed her to move Lincoln out of the way and everything sped up back to normal time after she skidded to a stop.

There were a few more cracks and the second of Anya's guards fell to a shot to the stomach . Clarke immediately wanted to run and help the man as she saw it wasn't a fatal wound.

!*

Unfortunately, that wasn't an option as Clarke's Instinct activated and used her psionic powers to form a shield in front of her. It was right in the nick of time too as Anya appeared in front of her in a cloud of black smoke and tried to stab her, but she was stopped by the translucent, blue barrier.

"Guys. Diggs. Now."said Clarke simply and it was enough for the other three delinquents to understand.

Clarke pointed her hands at Anya who had tried another futile stab and shot a blast of energy at her. The blast passed straight through the barrier and hit Anya in her midsection.

Anya was sent careening across the span of the bridge and Clarke snuck a look behind her in time to see Raven fire a beam of energy from her hands.

The beam shot straight through Pascal and he was dead before he hit the ground. Diggs began to run, but Bellamy had run off into the woods after him and Clarke was worried until she saw Octavia and ,after a moments hesistation, Raven run off after him.

Clarke turned back to Anya and saw she was just getting back up to her feet. There was blood dripping from the crown of Anya's head and yet it didn't seem to bother as she yelled across the bridge at Clarke,"So you lured me saying you wanted peace, but I can tell you clearly want war!"

"No!"shouted Clarke vehemently as she felt a pit form in her stomach,"Those people are not under my rule anymore. They left our camp! I didn't know they were going to be here!"

Anya snorted loudly and said, "Just like how you didn't think the flares you launched might hurt someone? You say you want war the moment and the next moment you shoot at me with your powers."

Anya walked back across the bridge and Clarke tensed herself waiting for an attack, but it never came. Anya had only come to pick up her knife that she had dropped.

"If it's a war you want, Klark,"said Anya as she toyed with the knife in her before throwing it at Clarke,"It's a war you'll get."

The knife was moving at an extreme speed, but to Clarke's horror it wasn't aimed at her and it lodged itself firmly into Lincoln's heart. A perfect throw from over 30 yards.

"Traitor,"spat Anya in disgust as she watched the man fall.

Clarke had ignored the rest of what Anya had said before she ran back to Lincoln and she quickly yanked the knife out before her hands glowed green and she pressed them firmly over Lincoln's chest.

"Please don't die,"said Clarke as an image of Roma overlaid on Lincoln's face, but it faded as she could feel the flesh beneath her palm knit itself back together.

After only a few seconds, Lincoln was no worse for wear except for the blood across his chest and Clarke was pretty sure the wound was going to scar badly. The man was unconscious, but his chest was rising and falling if only a little unsteadily.

Clarke turned back to Anya who hadn't moved an inch and seemed surprised at the sight of Clarke healing Lincoln from a mortal wound.

"There's no need to start a fight, Anya. We can resolve this peacefullly."said Clarke as she tried one last ditch effort to stop the war.

Anya snapped out of her shock and sneered at Clarke,"Peace? There will be no peace for my men that your people killed. No peace for their family and friends. No piece until justice is served. Jus drein jus daun. Blood must have blood. That is the way of the ground, sky girl. It's time you've learnt that."

Anya was about to attack, but was cut off by the sound of a horn blowing.

Clarke had flinched at the sound of the horn and she recognised it for what it was,"Acid fog!"

Clarke hefted Lincoln up and she ran as fast as she could for the woods. She was sure that she couldn't make to camp however and so she stopped roughly a few hundred metres away from the bridge and pulled out the portable tent Finn had discovered a while back and assembled it before pulling Lincoln inside and shutting the zip.

Clarke waited expectantly as she waited for the first signs of the acid fog, but there was nothing. Clarke waited and waited until she heard the sound of movement outside the tent.

Relief washed over Clarke as she heard Octavia call out, "Clarke, is that you?"

Clarke scrambled out the tent and sure enough Clarke was face to face with Octavia. There were a few bloodspot on her clothes, but Clarke ignored that as Octavia said,"Come on! Raven stole the horn and blew it. We need to get back to camp."

"What about Lincoln?"said Clarke and Octavia shifted unconsciously before she said,"We'll need to leave him. He may have helped us and he's the reason I'm not stuck in a cave, but considering the fact you just shot his leader across a bridge and some of our people just killed a bunch of the Grounders, it's likely that we're at war so..."

Clarke knew Octavia was being practical, but who knew what Lincoln might do. Anya may have tried to kill him, but he just might take it out on them.

"I think we should take him,"said Clarke finally,"We need to know what we're up against. We'll tie him up until he wakes up. If he's willing to help us then we'll set him free."

Octavia looked hesitant as Clarke slung the large man over her shoulder, but ultimately decided to let the matter drop.

Clarke was grateful that Octavia didn't put up more of a fight and said,"What happened with Diggs?"

"There were a few more of them in the woods. I think their plan was to kill Anya since they must thought she must have been the Commander or something, but I don't think they had a clear shot so they just shot at whatever Grounder they could."

"Why were there more of them in the woods?"said Clarke, but even as the words left her mouth she knew the reason which was confirmed by Octavia's statement.

"To kill either me, you, Raven or Bellamy. Probably all of us,"said Octavia before adding,"We got all 7 of them except for Trina. That bitch bolted as soon as she saw Pascal drop to the ground."

"A war on two fronts, huh?"said Clarke as she felt a headache develop,"Probably shouldn't have given Mbege those guns."

"Yeah, well, I'd take laser beams over superpowers any day,"said Octavia in a resigned tone, but the resignation quickly changed into resolution as she said,"Clarke, I'm behind you all the way on this. We may be outnumbered, but there's no way we're going down without a fight."

Clarke wished she could provide some words of comfort or reassurance to Octavia, but the hateful glare of Anya was stuck firmly in her mind.

"We need to get back to camp and amp up the guard details. I'm activating some of the dormant powers too,"said Clarke as she turned to Octavia.

"Don't you think that will hurt them?"

"It will definitely hurt them, but I think everyone would agree with me when I say pain is better than death,"said Clarke with a wry smile.

Clarke took Octavia's silence as the younger girl agreeing with her statement and she allowed her thoughts to go inward as she wondered how they would survive a war against Mbege and the Grounders.

Clarke only hoped that if they did survive the war that she would be able to look herself in the mirror and not see a monster.

However, it might already be too late for that.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Trigedasleng**

**Maunon- Mountain Men**

**Author Notes:**

**T**he functioning of the nanobots has finally been revealed and war is brewing...

**I hope you enjoyed that. Please PM with your ideas, opinions and theories, I'll try to answer any and all questions you may have.**

**Once again, please drop a review so I can track the general consensus of the story. It really helps as an author to know what the general reception of my story is.**


	8. Reaping

**Hey guys here is another chapter.**

**I've begun to cross post this on AO3. I have the same pen name so it would be extremely helpful if to guys could help spread this story and fix the tags on AO3 where you can. I have like no experience at tagging so I'll be looking to you guys for help.**

**Please review.**

**I have no shame and will freely admit that I write quicker when I get reviews so please five me your ideas on powers, pairings hell I might even do some arcs if the idea is plausible enough. This fic has an endgame in sight, no pun intended, so if there's other parts of this world you would like to see then it won't affect the story overall.**

**I think you'll find hints of the pairing in this chapter ;)**

**Song recs:**

**1.The Clash at Demonhead — Brie Larson (Black Sheep cover on Scott Pilgrim vs The Rest of The World)**

**Say what you want about Brie, but she is multi talented. Acting. Stunts. Singing. She can do it all.**

** 2\. The Nicest Kids in Town – James Marsden**

**Hairspray is the best musical ever. Change my mind.**

**3\. Bad Guy - Billie Eillish**

**I promise you I'm not a 14 year old girl.**

**Thanks for the feedback on the previous chapters . I really enjoyed hearing from you guys and shout out to Anonymous True Love who ended up inspiring me to finish this thing up.**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Clarke sighed in frustration as she sat down near the fire. The camp had not taken the idea of allowing Lincoln in while they were at war, but they were appeased when they said he would be bound and tied under guard.

They had decided to only post guards at the walls for now because they knew the Trikru were capable of travelling in the trees and having powers was not enough to be safe as Octavia could attest too.

There were going to be guards around the clock and Clarke was happy to do a lot of the heavy lifting. If they were to be attacked then it would stand to reason that as the delinquents' heaviest hitter that she be ready to fight back in case of any attack.

Perhaps, this would have been simpler if they did not need to worry about the added threat of Diggs and his group. Raven, Bellamy and Octavia had taken care of the gunners that were waiting for them in the woods, but it was clear that Mbege was out for blood.

Bellamy sat down opposite her and said nothing for a while as he stared into the burning wood. He sighed before finally looking at Clarke,"You and I both know how this will end. The Grounders are warriors. This is what they do. They have the numbers. They have the better fighters. They know these woods like the back of their hands. We're basically sitting ducks until they come for us. I don't even care about Diggs and Mbege. They're a non-issue. What I care about is that we're stuck here waiting for them to come kill us."

Clarke's hands clenched into fists as she let Bellamy go on his tirade. It wasn't like she didn't know this. She knew all this before the fight which was why she had insisted on there being no weapons at the meeting, but even if it had been the fault of Diggs there was nothing to be done about that now. The sheer venom in Anya's eyes was enough for Clarke to know that she meant what she said.

"What do you suggest we do then?"said Clarke and perhaps she could be forgiven for a sliver of annoyance slipping into her tone. She hadn't asked for the war. It was the last thing any of them wanted. It was a miracle the Grounders had been as cautious around them when they had first landed.

They had only been attacked by the outcasts of the Trikru despite landing right into their territory. Lincoln had spied on them, yes, but who could blame the Trikru? Clarke would have done the same if the roles were reversed.

"We take the fight to them,"said Bellamy harshly as a cold glint entered his eyes,"If we sit here waiting for them then we'll definitely lose. If that's our alternative then we should definitely go down with a fight."

Clarke immediately dismissed that idea. Bellamy was right, but he was also wrong. They knew nothing about the Trikru. The most they knew was that they were only a smaller part of a larger whole. If they did fight back hard enough against the Trikru would things reach a stage where they would call for backup or reinforcements? There were just too many unknowns.

"How do you suggest we do that? It's like you said we don't have the firepower, numbers or intel so how would doing that help? Also, even if it did help somehow we wouldn't even know where to attack unless you have a plan for that."

"You're forgetting that there's a gold mine of intel in the dropship,"said Bellamy heatedly,"Lincoln is Trikru. He knows them like the back of their hand. He could tell us where it would be best to attack, numbers, tactics. Hell, he might even help us himself."

In actuality, Clarke hadn't forgotten about Lincoln. She was the one that carried him to camp, after all. The problem was that it was all nice and good to think Lincoln would be so willing to help them, but that wasn't a plan without it's faults.

"Lincoln might be considered a traitor to the Trikru, but that doesn't mean he sees us as his allies,"said Clarke as she remembered the events on the bridge, "The only thing Lincoln had done to be declared a traitor was help us. We pushed for a meeting with Anya. He thought we weren't a threat and even after Diggs attacked him before the meeting he didn't retaliate. Now, he's been declared a traitor to his people despite never actually doing anything wrong and you expect him to aid us."

Bellamy nodded slowly and a bad feeling rose up within Clarke as he said,"Well, let's hope for his sake that he does want to help us. It might force our hand to do something neither of us want to."

Clarke felt her anger spike as she said,"You're willing to torture him to get information? That's now who we are. He's been the only friendly person we've met on the ground! He helped us find Octavia! She would be dead if it wasn't for him."

Bellamy looked at her with a grave expression that reached his voice as he said,"I know that we owe Lincoln a lot and without him O would probably be dead, but there's nothing I wouldn't do to protect Octavia. My sister, my responsibility. As much as we might not want to hurt Lincoln, it's still possible that we might have to and I know you think the same otherwise you wouldn't have had him tied up despite taking a knife to the chest."

Clarke closed her eyes as she processed Bellamy's words. He was right, of course. She had brought Lincoln back hoping to squeeze him for intel. That was the plain truth. She would be lying if she said hadn't put those restraints on him with this exact thought in mind. The lines had been drawn in the sand and even though Clarke had saved his life twice Lincoln might not be willing to help them or worse he might try to kill them as some sort of twisted revenge.

Thus, it was best that they kept all options open at least until they actually speak to Lincoln.

"You're, "said Clarke finally before adding,"Torture is our absolute last resort. I'm hoping that me saving his life twice – and one of those from his leader – might actually help us."

Bellamy smiled at Clarke's words, but it dimmed slightly as she added,"The raiding idea is still stupid. There's no way we can defeat thousands of warriors, but I do think there's something else we can plan for, but we'll need to speak to Lincoln first."

Clarke stood up and began to make her way to the dropship. Bellamy followed after her and said,"You think he's awake?"

Clarke shook her head and said,"No."

She held her hand up and electricity crackled across it,"But I can wake him up."

Bellamy didn't respond to Clarke's statement and the two walked in a comfortable silence to the dropship.

Miller was at the bottom of the ladder and Clarke looked at him and said,"Has Lincoln woken up yet?"

Miller shrugged and said,"He wasn't awake when I was last up there, but I haven't been up in a while so he might be now."

"Thanks, you can take a break now. We have it from here."said Clarke to Miller who nodded gratefully before leaving.

Clarke climbed up the ladder and once she climbed fully into the room to see Lincoln fully restrained to a chair. Bellamy had at first suggested that Lincoln's arms be tied to separate ropes as that was bound to be painful however Clarke had refused seeing as they needed to foster good relations with Lincoln and if they were going to tie him up, he would at least be comfortable.

Luckily, Lincoln appeared to be awake and Clarke moved closer to him as she heard Bellamy climb up the ladder and shut the hatch. There was silence before Clarke decided to get the ball rolling.

"How is your chest?"said Clarke as she looked the spot where Anya's knife had been embedded. Lincoln had suffered some blood loss which was the main reason he had been unconscious, but the doctor within her wanted to know if there was anything else she could do to help.

Lincoln had a conflicted expression on his face and Clarke was sure he was remembering the moment Anya had thrown her knife into his chest. It had caught Clarke completely off guard that the knife hadn't even been aimed for her and so she hadn't been able to stop it, but luckily Lincoln hadn't succumbed to the wound before Clatke could heal him.

"It is fine,"said Lincoln passively, but his next words pulsed with gratitude and awe as he said,"Thank you for saving my life. I can barely be of help to you and still you saved me and for that I'm indebted to you."

Clarke nodded at Lincoln and said,"I did what anyone else would have done. You've helped so much since we've been on the ground. There's no way I was going to let Anya kill you."

Lincoln straightened in his chair at the sound of Anya's name and he looked at the two people opposite him and said,"Your people are going to lose this war with Anya. I know you truly wished for peace however I am now seen as a traitor to my people. Even if I were to return to them and try to convince Anya that you were not at fault she would have me executed on sight. "

Clarke bit her lip in frustration. It was one thing to speculate that they were going to lose, but it was a whole other to hear it from Lincoln. Lincoln had seen what both the delinquents and Trikru were capable of and he essentially confirmed that the delinquents were doomed.

"We know,"said Bellamy as he spoke up for the first time,"That's why we're here to ask you for help. Anything you know that can help us. Numbers, tactics, anything really. "

Lincoln's voice hardened as he said,"You are the reason Anya banished me. You were incapable of saving your sister from the weakest of traitors and so I helped you. I asked Anya for an audience and again you were incapable of calming those under your control and you are now at war. I never betrayed my clan and I won't start now."

Lincoln's words rang true and Clarke felt uneasy as she could tell that Lincoln wouldn't give them anything on the Trikru despite Anya nearly killing him and Clarke saving him. The frustration in Bellamy's eyes was palpable and Clarke feared she wouldn't be able to convince him to take the high road for much longer.

"They aren't our people anymore, "said Clarke in exasperation, "We exiled them. Their actions don't reflect on us. We do want peace. "

Lincoln sighed and said,"Clarke, do you know that you are seen as the leader of the Sky People? No one else. Anya may believe that you didn't intend to ambush her, but for that to happen you need to bring those in the wrong to justice."

"Justice?"echoed Bellamy with a confused expression on his face,"We've already exiled them. What more can we do to punish them?"

"Anya would want us to execute them, wouldn't she?"said Clarke to the surprise of Bellamy.

Lincoln nodded at the question, but said,"Yes, but as the leader of the Sky people. You must be the executioner. That is our way. The leader must show their strength by killing those who dare defy them. If you wish to live with us, you must abide by our laws."

Clarke was appalled at the sheer thought of having to execute the exiled prisoners. The whole reason they had left was because they did not wish to live in a system similar to the Ark and yet despite her wishes it seemed like that was a reality impossible to get away from.

"Isn't there any other way?"said Clarke desperately and to her dismay Lincoln shook his head in the negative.

It was disturbing that the humans on Earth had such a cruel system, but perhaps what was most disturbing to Clarke wasn't having to actually kill Mbege and his people, but just how easy it would be.

There were perhaps 40 delinquents with Mbege and yet Clarke knew there wasn't much that they could do to stop her. She could dodge their bullets, Instinct would save her from any traps they might have set for her and any wounds she did sustain would heal.

It was this very reason why Clarke couldn't wear her father's watch since the day she had killed for the first time. She had gone from a teenaged prisoner to a killer in what felt like a matter of moments. She could barely recognise herself anymore and the Novus was only a small part for the change.

The powers given to her were just another weapon and it chilled Clarke that she knew that if worst came to worst she would still kill people who meant her harm whether she had powers or not.

It was said that survival was ingrained in the DNA of all living beings. It was why she hadn't hesitated to kill the Grounder she had stolen the healing powers.

He would have come back to kill her at some point and her very being had screamed at her to eliminate the threat now for the simple reason that he might come back and harm her or any of the other delinquents who couldn't protect themselves.

Every time Clarke had killed she had always reasoned it as being for her people. Yet, this time despite Mbege having seceded from them they were still her people.

Could she really kill some of her own people for the sake of those that were lucky enough to be on her side?

Mbege had always talked about how things under her rule was just like how things were on the Ark. In a cruel and ironic twist of fate, Clarke now had to decide if she could do what all the Chancellors on the Ark had done before.

Could she really forsake her some of her own people for the greater good?

The memory of her father in the air lock struck her. His comforting words doing little good to ease her anguish. The sheer pain Clarke had felt when the outer door had opened and her father was dragged out of the air lock and into the dark, frozen depths of space.

"I can't execute them all,"said Clarke before adding,"I won't. That's not how we do things. We can't decide who gets to live and who gets to die because then we would have turned into Jaha and the council. I'll go speak to Mbege and try to convince as many of the innocents to rejoin our camp. The rest I'll take to Anya and then she can have her justice. "

Bellamy nodded and said,"That's fine with me. I'll come with you, Princess. We should head out as soon as the sun rises tomorrow. We don't even know where Mbege's camp is so we'll need to find it."

Clarke shook her head and said,"You need to stay. The camp can't have the both of us out at the same time. These people listen to us and we can't both be out of the camp at the same time anymore not when something might happen. I'll take Finn and Raven with me."

Bellamy raised a brow at that and said,"Finn and Raven? Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Clarke nodded and said,"They have their issues, but they're bigger things than their beef at work here. I'd take Octavia, but she hasn't activated her Duos powers so her body is still weak and slow. It's going to be a long haul and unsafe so I'll need Raven's firepower and Finn is the best tracker in the camp."

In the face of that reasoning Bellamy nodded and said,"Okay, but if things go wrong don't say I didn't warn you. Anyways, I need to go check on the guards at the wall so shout if you need anything. "

Bellamy left after a nod at Lincoln and Clarke and he closed the hatch as he began to descend the ladder.

There was silence in the room before Clarke said,"Where can I find Anya? That's where I'll need to go first before anything. I didn't tell Bellamy since he'd practically force his way onto the team and he's not the best at diplomacy."

Lincoln smiled slightly at that and said,"I'm not entirely sure where exactly she would be now, but I believe she'd be stationed at one of the villages near the river close to the Mountain. This plan of yours is good. Anya is one of the wisest amongst the Trikru and she has the ear of the Commander. I'm sure she would see the benefit of being allied with your people."

Clarke felt less anxious at that news. She was lucky that Anya was apparently not quick to anger despite her rather harsh demeanour. It made her feel a little less worried about their longterm survival.

There was virtually no information on whether the Ark was dead or alive and regardless there was no way for them to get down. Raven had said the Ark was never meant to survive a decoupling from the Exodus ship and if there were people up there then they wouldn't be alive for much longer.

Clarke rather sheepishly remembered that Lincoln was still tied up and she moved behind him and began to undo his bindings,"Sorry for tying you up, but it was the only way I could get people to agree with you being here. What are your plans now?"

Lincoln rubbed his wrists once he was free and said,"I understand why you had to tie me up. I could have withstood far worse than this, but I'm glad things didn't go that far. I plan to seek refuge with another clan in the Coalition. It is not Trikru, but they are a peaceful people and I suspect that you'll enjoy living amongst them should you and your people ever get the chance. Their leader, Luna, is an old friend of mine."

Clarke was happy that Lincoln would not have to resort to slumming it out in the mountains with all those other traitors and he seemed rather happy that he got to go to Luna's people. She supposed a life of peace after being a warrior must be nice.

"Where does Luna stay?"said Clarke out of curiosity and Lincoln answered almost immediately, "Floukru territory is to the east. Towards the ocean. I'm sure Luna would like to meet you one day."

Clarke hoped that she could one day get to see the ocean. There hadn't been much time for sightseeing since they'd arrived and hopefully all would go well with Anya.

Lincoln rose to his feet before dropping to a knee and he said,"Thank you, Clarke of the Sky People. You saved my life from certain death and I am in your debt. Should you ever need a task done then I am at your service."

Clarke was surprised at the sheer emotion and dedication she could hear in Lincoln's voice. She had saved him, but she hadn't expected him to pay back the favour in such a manner. If anything Clarke owed Lincoln for all that he had done for them and saving his life was the least of what Clarke could have done to repay him.

"There's no need for that,"said Clarke hesitantly before adding,"You have already helped us a lot. There's no need to pay me back for anything. If it hadn't been for you we might have had a less friendly welcome if someone else had scouted us and all of us in this camp owe you a lot."

Lincoln reluctantly rose to his feet and said,"I understand. I hope everything goes better with your second meeting with Anya. Your people deserve a chance at life just as much as the others already on the ground. "

Lincoln put out his hand to shake and Clarke tried to reciprocate but she was surprised when Lincoln grabbed her elbow instead. Clarke mirrored his actions as they performed the most peculiar handshake Clarke had ever been apart of.

They separated and Lincoln picked up his belongings off of the table in the dropship. Clarke waited for him to gather his supplies before she motioned for him to follow her.

The two walked in silence amidst the stares and murmurs of the delinquents that were still awake. They finally reached the gate and after an order to stand down. The gate guards didn't take any further action to seeing Lincoln.

"If you don't have anywhere to stay for the night, you're welcome to stay,"said Clarke but Lincoln shook his head and said,"Thank you, but I'll need to leave now. If there are any scouts then it would be best for me to use the cover of night to my advantage,"stated Lincoln before he nodded at Clarke in a form of saying goodbye.

Clarke nodded back and she watched as Lincoln made his way into the dark forest before he disappeared from sight a few seconds later.

She finally began to make her way back to her and Raven's tent for what she was sure was going to be a fun and amazing chat about tomorrow's trip to Anya's village.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So, Clarke "said Raven,"What makes you think we won't be attacked as soon as we reach this village?"

"We don't, "said Clarke as she followed Finn with Raven walking behind Clarke. Finn had found what he believed were human footprints and they were following them to what was hopefully a village,"You're behind me so I can cover us and Finn can go intangible."

They had left camp rather early and while Finn had agreed to come with rather easily, Raven had been a bit more challenging. Raven had caved, though, once Clarke had said that Raven didn't even need to speak to Finn and that Clarke would cover one of her night gate duties.

It had created this rather awkward situation where Clarke had essentially become the only person both Finn and Raven would speak to. For the most part, Clarke was still rather angry at Finn for all he had done, but like she had said to Bellamy they needed to push their issues aside to work together and so Clarke was trying.

They continued on in silence for another half hour before Finn lost the trail he had been following. They stopped as he tried to look for signs of the trail picking up or if there was another one that he could pick up.

Clarke paused to take a sip from her canteen and she was about to close it when Raven spoke up.

"Has it always been this quiet?"said Raven as she began to scan the surrounding area.

Clarke realised Raven was right and she began to scan the ground. After drawing a blank, she began to scan the canopy of the forest however the branches in this section of the woods were especially thick and it was virtually impossible to see through them.

Finn had his hand on a pistol he had gathered. He had been told to take a rifle, but he wasn't comfortable with having to use it and he had originally wanted to go unarmed, but Bellamy had basically stromgarmed him into taking the pistol.

Clarke was about to continue walking once she had found no signs of anyone else, but then it happened.

!*

Clarke's Instinct activated and she felt herself put her arms out and she spun rapidly.

The enhanced perception that came with Clarke's super speed allowed her to watch as the leaves and dust was thrown around in the shape of a dome. The wind dome she had made deflected the arsenal of arrows and spears that were launched at them.

The weapons were either trapped in the dome or were sent veering off course and Clarke kept the motion up even as Instinct had relinquished control back to her.

Clarke realised the weapons might still hurt them if she simply stopped spinning so instead she focused and the dome exploded outwards sending everything it had carried outwards.

Raven and Finn had barely moved throughout the entire wind storm Clarke had made, but they now stood at the ready as Finn pulled out his pistol and Raven had both her hands at the ready.

Clarke allowed her psionic energy to flow through and it began rolling off of her shoulders and body in waves of light blue.

"They're in the trees,"said Finn as they all scanned the canopy above them,"We need to flush them out."

Clarke nodded and said,"We're not here to kill or fight. We just need to get someone who can take us to Anya. Raven, you'll need to hold back on those beams a bit. Finn, stay out of trouble."

There was silence as the tension grew before suddenly six figures dropped down from the canopy by wires. The three teenagers watched warily as they stood opposite the Grounders.

It was only seconds later that four of the Grounders charged directly at Clarke as she had obviously been identified as the main threat.

Clarke shot two blasts at two of the Grounders and they were both taken out as they were sent flying backwards into two separate trees.

They were knocked out on impact and Clarke watched as the other two Grounders paused once they saw how their comrades fared.

"We don't want to fight,"said Clarke as she kept her arms up,"We just want to speak to Anya."

The Grounders seemingly ignored that as they kept their aggressive stances up and the man opposite Raven charged at her at full speed.

In a surprising turn of events, the man's body seemed to contort and transform while he was running and after a few metres, a big black wolf was bearing down on Raven.

Raven panicked at the sight of the wolf that was running full tilt at her and she shot two scorching laser beams from her hands just as it had leapt to bite her in the meck. The wolf let out a high pitched whine as the beams shot straight into it and sent it tumbling fully across the clearing.

If there had been any chance of this ending without a fight then the sight of Raven blitzing one of the Grounders even in self-defense blew those chances out the water.

The Grounders that were opposite Clarke paused as they glared at her. The woman had long hair and she seemed to be adjusting the tie that kept it out of her eyes.

The man drew out a horn and blew deeply into it. The sound of the horm echoed out and Clarke knew it was different from the one Lincoln used to signal that the acid fog was coming.

There was silence as no one made a move and Clarke kept her eyes on the other Grounders. It was why after a minute she was surprised when small objects dropped from the treetops and the Grounders tugged on ropes to pull them up above the ground..

Clarke was surprised that her Instinct hadn't warned her and she watched as Finn already collapsed to one knee. Raven put her hands up towards the canopy to shoot whoever was up there, but both Clarke and her were surprised when nothing came out before she fainted.

Clarke felt herself growing more and more groggy, but she tried her best to fight against the feeling. She shot out a psionic blast at the man who blew the horn and it struck him directly in the chest before sending him back to the ground.

Clarke tried to go for something more damaging and she felt the beginnings of fire began to form on her palm, but it fizzled out as she fell to the ground amidst a massive cloud of smoke.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Clarke opened her eyes and she was surprised to find herself being carried over someone's shoulder. She couldn't see Raven or Finn from her position, but she hoped that they were nearby. Clarke looked up to the sky and she was surprised to see that it was fast approaching evening as the sky was a mix of pink and orange.

Clarke realised she had been hit with the same thing that had disabled Octavia's powers when she had been abducted by the Trikru outcasts. However, Clarke could quite clearly feel her powers were still available to her if only a little weakened and it was this thought that inspired her next course of action.

She ripped the shackles on her wrists and ankles apart with brute strength and the person carrying her dropped her from sheer shock. She kicked the man hard and he was sent hurtling metres away from her.

Clarke rose to her feet and had her hands at the ready before she noticed that she was surrounded by 10 other Grounders and Finn and Raven were nowhere to be seen.

A large spike of anger bloomed in Clarke's chest as she said,"Where are they?"

She received no response and that was what caused her anger to boil over. A scream so savage and harsh escaped Clarke's throat before a massive explosion of psionic energy shot out her body.

The Grounders were all thrown into the air by the sheer power and many were sent straight through trees and the branches in the surrounding area.

Clarke focused on the Grounders that were still able to stand after the explosion she had just caused and she recognised one of them as the woman from earlier.

"Where are they?"said Clarke as she ignored the pain her body was in before

The woman wiped the blood dripping from her forehead and said something in her native tongue before her hair unfurled and moved behind like it had a mind of it's own.

Clarke stood her ground as she formulated a plan to put this chick down. There were two others that were still rising to their feet, but they weren't the biggest threat at the moment so she put them out of her mind.

Clarke allowed the hair to wrap around her midsection and she tried to break free, but it seemed like the hair was extremely durable and it began to tighten around Clarke not allowing her to move much.

Clarke calmed down and focused internally once she felt her airways begin to close from the crushing force. It was mere moments later that the woman with long hair let out a scream as electricity cursed through her body.

The woman unfurled the hair from around Clarke, but it was all for naught as she collapsed to the ground and her body began to twitch from the amount of electricity that had just cursed through her body.

Clarke scanned the two remaining opponents and she saw one was a grown man while the other was a young girl that looked to be barely 12. They were both breathing heavily and despite her anger Clarke decided to only knock them out, but before she could decide on a course of action Instinct activated and made Clarke lean back at super speed.

!*

It was no moment too soon as Anya had appeared in front of her in a cloud of black smoke already swiping at Clarke's neck with a dagger. Clarke regained control and she used her speed to keep ahead of Anya's furious and accurate stabs and slashes.

Clarke felt herself stepping backwards as Anya advanced and so she decided to end this before things got even more out of hand. Clarke dodged another swipe from Anya and she ran around Anya across the clearing before stopping in front of the other two Grounders.

She shot a psionic blast at the grown man and Clarke didn't have to look to know that it had made contact before she grabbed onto the young girl and turned to face Anya.

This had all happened before Anya could even fully turn around.

"Look,"said Clarke harshly as she tightened her grip on the girl,"I don't want to fight. Where are Raven and Finn?"

Anya's face twisted in anger and Clarke instinctively knew what Anya was about to do.

"Don't even think about it,"said Clarke as her free hand became enveloped in flames,"I don't want to fight. I just want to speak with you. Don't let this girl get hurt because of your mistake."

The anger slowly bled out of Anya as she said,"What is it you want? I was on my way here to meet with you, but then I heard an explosion. You say you don't want to fight and yet all my warriors are laying at your feet."

Clarke kept her glare up and said,"I'll ask the questions. Where are Raven and Finn?"

Anya stared at her before she said,"The girl was sent back to your camp while the boy is in another of our villages. He was kept as insurance in case you chose not to comply."

Clarke stared at Anya and she deduced that the woman was telling the truth. She let go of the girl she was holding captive and didn't move even as the girl ran across the field to Anya.

"Tris, ha yu?"said Anya as a small amount of concern welled up in her eyes.

"Ai laik ku, Anya,"said Tris as she stood in front of the older woman. Despite her words, Tris stared at Clarke with visible fear in her eyes.

Clarke realised that Anya clearly cared for the younger girl and said,"Like I said I'm not here to fight. I wanted to talk with you. I'm sorry about your warriors, but I held back as much as I could."

Clarke held her hands up to show she meant no harm before moving to the nearest Grounder.

Clarke realised the Grounders seemed to have been cut from a different cloth as she scanned the surrounding area and saw that they were all alive.

Anya watched Clarke warily as the girl approached a warrior – Fiona. Fiona's hair was still extended, but the brown strands seemed burnt and tattered which was consistent with the look of Fiona's body. There were burn marks all over her body and some were in patterns similar to a spider's web.

Clarke was aware of Anya's guardedness and she did her best to ignore it as she knelt before the woman that had tried to crush Clarke with her hair.

The woman was unconscious and Clarke felt somewhat guilty for hurting her, but considering the woman had been trying to kill her then she supposed she shouldn't feel that bad about it.

Clarke put her hands directly above the warrior's body and after a few seconds green light began to radiate from them. Clarke could see Anya and Tris out the corner of her eye and they both seemed tense and ready to strike.

Clarke ignored them and she gently placed her hands onto the warrior's side. Immediately, the burns all across the woman's body began to rapidly heal and Clarke heard the gasp of who she presumed was Tris as after a few more seconds the woman was as good as new.

The woman's eyes opened once she was fully healed and she looked confused to see her body in perfect condition. The woman's eyes finally landed on Clarke's and just as she was about to pounce Anya spoke up.

"Fiona, em pleni, "said Anya and though Clarke didn't exactly understand what it was Anya had said she got the gist of it as Fiona had paused before looking at Anya and standing down.

Clarke was grateful for the interruption by Anya and she sent a curt nod to Anya which was reciprocated by the older woman. The rest of the Grounders were in better shape and so Clarke was able to heal them without much of a fuss.

Finally, Clarke healed the last man who had the least severe injuries having only suffered a fractured rib. The warriors were all on their feet and though they looked wary, none of them seemed inclined to attack Clarke.

Clarke looked at Anya whose face and body language didn't even hint at what could possibly be going on inside the woman's head.

Clarke walked up to Anya and said, "Take me to Finn. I wanted to speak to you about what happened on the bridge."

Anya's face barely showed that she had registered what Clarke had said, but she shouted a couple of phrases in Trigedasleng to the other warriors in the clearing.

Clarke wasn't sure what was said, but she wasn't given much time to pay attention to that as she felt Anya place her hand on Clarke. Anya had also placed her hand on Tris' shoulder and barely a second later Clarke realised that Anya had teleported them to a village that was bustling with people.

Their sudden appearance had caused a stir and there were whispers and murmurs as Clarke made to follow Anya as she walked her way through the village. Clarke noted that some of the buildings were in disrepair and were busy being rebuilt.

"Where are we?"said Clarke as she trailed behind Anya. The crowds of people were parting to make way for them and even still there were many looks filled with curiosity as they looked at Clarke.

Clarke did her best to not let the looks affect her as she took in the sights of the village. The village had buildings that were clearly made after the Apocalypse and were mostly built from different types of wood.

They finally reached an isolated part of the village and there was a dilapidated building that was set apart from the rest of the village. The party of three reached the building and Anya looked at Clarke and said,"Wait here."

Clarke decided to not argue and simply sat down on one of the logs that just so happened to be not too far from the building. Clarke sat down and after scanning the array of logs she realised that she was seated at a fire circle.

Night was slowly coming into being and Clarke decided that if she was going to wait she might as well be comfortable. She stood up and gathered some of the surrounding branches and she placed the most suitable ones in the fire pit.

Clarke took a step back and she could practically feel the eyes of Tris burning holes into her side. She raised her left hand and a ball of fire shot out her hand and landed in the fire pit.

Tris had let out a gasp of surprise at the sight and Clarke paid her no mind as she watched the fire eat away at the branches. The flames were soon at a decent level and Clarke basked in the warmth and comfort that the fire was giving her.

"You are strong,"said a voice suddenly and Clarke had nearly jerked back at the voice that had come from across her. Tris had somehow managed to make her way around the fire and sit down without Clarke noticing.

"I have to be,"said Clarke in response to the younger girl and perhaps that was more true than Clarke had initially thought. She was the one who got the injection. She was cursed with this power and so the onus was on her to use it for the benefit of the delinquents.

"How did you heal my people so quickly?"said Tris and for the first time Clarke could see the girl opposite her as the child she was as pure curiosity fluttered in her eyes.

It was confusing to Clarke, however, as she had stolen the ability to heal from one of the Trikru traitors so she wasn't sure if it meant that either Tris was unaware of one being able to heal or the more likely situation the Novus had increased the capabilities of her stolen power. Either way, it would probably be best to not expose her power stealing abilities.

"Aren't there other healers like me amongst your people?"questioned Clarke finally and the slight subject change was either ignored or unnoticed by the younger girl as she responded earnestly.

"We do have those with the healing touch,"said the girl before she added with a more thoughtful tone,"However, they do not heal anywhere as fast as you do. A lot of those warriors's fights would be over had it not been for you. They do not create light when they heal either."

Clarke was surprised at the forthcoming nature of Tris, but she suspected that it wasn't sensitive information that was being shared with her. Clarke was about to respond, but a bout of weakness came over her.

Clarke felt extremely dizzy and she tried to push through it and she took a few seconds to steady herself. The spell of lightheadedness left Clarke as quickly as it came, but she still felt weak.

The sudden urge to cough came over Clarke and so she did into her left hand. The fit of coughs passed too and on e she was done Clarke finally came to realise that Anya had joined them at the fire. The woman was holding a pouch at her and at Clarke's curious gaze the woman said,"Drink. The one you call Finn is inside."

Clarke was about to reach for the pouch, but she noticed the blood that was on her hand. Clarke wiped the blood onto her pants leg and she took the pouch and drank deeply and she felt relief flow through as the water soothed her body.

Clarke returned the pouch to Anya and nodded her thanks. The woman simply turned on her heel and walked towards the nearby building. Clarke stepped inside the room that only had a few candles inside for lighting and she was appalled the sight that awaited her.

Finn was in chains and the metal was digging deeply into his wrists. He did appear to be unharmed for the most part except for a bruise on the side of his face and a slight cut on his shoulder that was bleeding sluggishly.

Clarke took a step towards the boy, but Anya grabbed onto her shoulder and said,"Not yet. Explain what the three of you branwadas were doing in Trikru territory during war or that boy won't get the antidote."

Clarke turned back to Finn and for the first time she noticed the sweat that was pouring down his forehead. His hair was matted and he seemed to twitch every few seconds.

Clarke bit back her annoyance and she wasn't willing to test if her healing ability could counteract poisons so she acquiesced to Anya's demand.

"We were in your territory to explain what happened at the bridge,"said Clarke coolly as she tried to temper her frustration, "Those people that attacked were not there under my orders. They had separated from our people because they didn't like me and they tried to kill the both of us at the bridge. We don't want to fight a war so we came to negotiate."

Anya raised an eyebrow in disbelief before anger twisted her exotic features, "Negotiate? You invade our land. First, you children and then a second time later on and then yet another after that. You run across the land of the Commander as if you own it. You sent missiles that burnt this very village down and then you set off an explosion that attracted Maunon and Ripas to these lands. There is nothing we have to negotiate. "

Clarke winced inwardly at the mention of each of the actions the delinquents had done. She wasn't sure what some of the last of what Anya had said meant, but before she could even begin to ask a question Anya continued her tirade.

"You and your people then come deeper into Trikru land and attack my warriors. Why should I believe you want peace when all you've done is test and goad us into a war?"challenged Anya as the sheer anger across her face continued to build.

The onslaught of questions caused Clarke's anger to run thin and smoke began to waft off of her clenched fists. Clarke finally noticed her unconscious reaction to Anya's interrogation and she took calming breaths before the smoke finally disappeared.

"You have to understand, "said Clarke finally as Anya had paused after seeing the smoke emanate from Clarke's hands,"We did not know there was an established society when we landed. There was no sign of there being anyone who was alive on the ground and so we thought that we were alone. We didn't intend to hurt anyone with the flares. That was a pure accident. "

Anya was listening to Clarke, for once, and so Clarke decided to wrap this up while she still had the chance,"The explosion was wrong of us, yes. I don't know what Maunon or Ripas are, but they don't sound good. I came here to tell you that we were willing to offer the guilty up to you so you could exact justice. There are many innocents in both camps that would die if we had to fight and that wouldn't be fair. My people just want a chance at a good life and we're willing to make amends for what we have done wrong. We have guns, radios and technology. We could be so much better if we worked together."

Clarke's reasoning seemed to have registered within Anya and the woman was silent as she pondered everything Clarke had said. Clarke waited for what felt like an eternity before she heard Anya's words.

"I believe you, "said Anya finally and Clarke was about to sigh in relief before she heard Anya's next words,"That doesn't mean the Commander will however."

Clarke's brow furrowed in confusion as she said,"Lincoln said you were the Commander's mentor? Surely he or she would believe what you have to say."

"That naive traitor knows little of this world,"said Anya and before Clarke could even say anything in response to that Anya continued and said,"A few summers ago, I lost something of the Commander's that she valued deeply. "

Clarke looked into Anya's eyes and despite herself Clarke was surprised to see regret and anger bubbling within them.

"Heda punished me for my incompetence and ever since I've been trying to regain my honour, "added Anya before she said,"There is still a sour relationship between me and Heda despite our history. I haven't even seen her in years."

Clarke was surprised to learn that the supposed visionary that was the leader of the Coalition could be so harsh and uncaring to her own mentor. It contradicted heavily with the almost godlike image Lincoln had painted of the Commander.

"I'm sorry,"said Clarke lately and despite the heaviness of the situation Clarke felt her own curiosity rise,"What did you lose?"

Anya had moved towards Finn and began to unshackle his cuffs. Clarke allowed the woman to do so and just as she had uncuffed his feet the woman said,"You misunderstand. It wasn't an object I lost."

Clarke felt her curiosity rise until Anya finally finished her statement, "It was her trust."

Clarke felt some sadness at Anya's words and Clarke was sure the woman didn't know just how vulnerable she appeared at the moment. Clarke could tell that Anya had deeply cherished her relationship with her student and whatever she had done to lose that relationship still haunted Anya to this day.

"This will be different, Anya,"said Clarke with as much confidence as she could muster,"If you are able to allow us to help you then the Commander would surely accept you. I'd be willing to help with what however I can. I know your healers aren't as good as me according to Tris."

Anya looked up at that and she seemed angry, but Clarke said, "Don't blame her. She's still young and she was intrigued by what I can do."

The anger left Anya and Clarke could see that the woman needed some more convincing,"I also took out 10 of your warriors without getting scratched. "

Clarke paused as she let her words hang in the air and she wondered if she would be able to even go through with what she had to say, but if it would assure her people's continued survival then she knew she didn't really have a choice.

"I'll be the Commander's to command. To heal the smallest of cuts or to...kill those that oppose her. I'll be the shield that protects her and the sword that attacks for her,"said Clarke with as much steel as she could muster.

It seemed like it had worked as all signs of doubt left Anya's face. There was a pregnant pause before Anya said,"Do you love your people that much? You're willing to give up your free will just so your people can have peace. "

It wasn't only that though. Clarke knew she owed it to those who had died under care without ever getting a shot at the peaceful life that was so close to their grasp.

Nathan, Mason, Atom, Wells and Roma. Their blood on Clarke's hands and she would do whatever she could to make sure that no more of her people had to go through that under her watch.

Even if it came at the price of her own happiness.

"Your people are lucky to have you,"said Anya before holding out her hand to Clarke. Clarke recognised the gesture for what it was and she gripped Anya's forearm as the woman did the same to her.

"I'll plead your case to the Commander,"said Anya before she added,"However I can't negotiate on her behalf. You will have to hammer out the details between yourselves, but what I can do is call of my warriors for now. You have nothing to fear, Klark kom Skaikru. "

Clarke nodded and she was about to respond when the door the room was slammed open.

"Onya,"said Tris frantically and she said some words in Trigedasleng that Clarke didn't get at all before she looked at Clarke,"There are strange lights in the sky."

Clarke felt a pit form in her stomach at the news and she made her way outside to look at what Tris mentioned. It was with a sinking heart that Clarke registered the sight of Jasper's signal beam rising high up into the sky.

Clarke turned back to Anya and said,"I thought we had an agreement. Why are my people sending out a distress signal. "

Tris and Anya had been speaking frantically back and forth in their language and only stopped once Clarke had spoken to Anya.

Anya barked out an order at Tris who nodded and left without another word as she ran to the village.

Anya began to go over all the weapons she had on her and Clarke felt her patience grow thin until she heard a horn from the village. The horn had a chilling timbre and echoed far and wide across the

"Anya,"said Clarke firmly as she finally drew the attention of the woman,"What is going on?"

"There have been sightings of Ripas from here and they appear to all be going towards your camp. There might already be some there now?"said Anya as she walked out the building.

Clarke followed after her and said,"What about the antidote for Fin ? Also, what are these ' ripas' you're talking about. You mentioned them before I thought you were the one assigned to fight us. Why are my people under attack from them now?"

Anya had remained silent much to Clarke's chagrin as she entered into a wooden building that Clarke realised was an armory of sorts. Anya grabbed a sword off it's rack before she said,"Take a dagger— the blade must not exceed your elbow if held against it."

Clarke was still upset, but she followed the woman's direction as she grabbed a dagger of the specified length. The blade shone in the moonlight and she grabbed a sheath before strapping it to her side in a fashion identical to Anya.

"We need to go to your camp. The Ripas have already overrun the camp with the traitors to your people in it. There have probably reached your people some time ago. Luckily, we are not far at all from your people."

Clarke was happy to hear that the village wasn't far from the dropship and she turned to Anya who had pulled out a small container and was now applying black paint around her eyes.

"You still haven't answered my questions, "said Clarke impatiently.

"The boy will be fine. The poison is not harmful. It will just cause him pain for a few hours," said Anya as she walked out the building.

Clarke brushed aside the slight anger she felt at having been duped by Anya into exposing her intentions and said,"What about the Ripas?"

It was the haunted look in Anya's eyes that scared Clarke.

"The Reapers,"said Anya tersely, "They are monsters. You hesitated to kill my warriors before. Do not hesitate with these demons. The only way to deal with Ripas is to kill them. If you do not kill them, they will keep coming until they get what they want."

Clarke felt her throat go dry at the prospect of having to go against such hellish opponents. Despite her earlier words of willing to essentially be at the beck and call of the Commander, she did not expect that she would have to kill so soon.

Clarke couldn't even bring herself to kill Diana despite every atom of her being telling her to and now she had to fight against who knows how many of these supposed monsters. However, Clarke one that if Anya's words were to be believed then she didn't have much of a choice.

Anya stepped in front of her and said,"It shall only be the two of us who will go. The amount of Ripas is said to be over 100. My warriors will stay here to defend the surrounding villages. "

Clarke swallowed at that bit of news, but she knew that Anya coming was a lot more than she could ask for. Clarke nodded at the woman's words and said,"How are we getting there? I don't know the way back."

Anya ignored Clarke's words and grabbed onto her shoulder,"Like this."

Anya focused on the image of the camp she had scouted what felt like an eternity ago and the two women disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Everything was fucked.

That was what was going through Raven's head as she held a rifle tight to her chest. The various fires set up around camp did nothing to calm her nerves.

She had woken up not far away from the dropship and there was no sight of Finn or Clarke anywhere. She had made it back to camp and it was only after she had made it there that her fears were confirmed.

The Grounders had Clarke and Finn.

Raven didn't even want to think about whether they were dead or alive. That was just a downward spiral waiting to happen. Despite her anger at him, Finn was still precious to Raven. He had been there for her whenever her mother had taken her rations for herself.

He had given Raven some of his own meagre rations so she wouldn't starve and Raven truly didn't know where she would have been without his help. It's not like he was without faults, though.

Finn had apparently been enamored by Raven's talk of how cool zero gravity was and so he had decided to go for a spacewalk. In the end, he had been caught and Raven didn't even have the opportunity to see him before he got thrown into the Sky Box.

The betrayal of her trust was by far his worst digression against her, though. She had been gone barely two weeks and Finn had shacked up with Fox and she wasn't even sure how long that had gone on for or if it was still going on.

That betrayal should have torn her apart, but Raven was tough. It wasn't the first time life had thrown her a curve ball and at the time she knew it wouldn't be the last, but what she hadn't expected was for someone to actually pick her up when she was at her lowest.

Clarke was almost too nice of a person in a self-sacrificing sort of way. She constantly kept going on rounds and guard duty. She buried those who died and she had taken it upon herself to rein in and lead everyone despite knowing the burdens that would come with that.

Raven knew that Clarke was struggling a lot. She had lost both her childhood friend and Roma in a matter of days and still didn't seem to want to give herself a break. Raven also knew that Clarke was having extreme difficulty falling asleep.

She had asked Monty about the cherries she had seen Clarke taking and eventually he had revealed that they were basically juiced up sleeping pills. Apparently, Clarke had needed them since Wells had died.

Despite all of this, as well as the news that her father had essentially been killed by her mother, Clarke was still willing to help out where she could.

When Clarke had comforted her in the immediate aftermath of her breakup with Finn, it had touched that someone who cared so much for the people around her could hurt so much and from what she could tell only a few like Bellamy, Monty and Octavia were aware of her pain.

The burdens of Clarke's caring nature were resting heavily on her soul and Raven could only hope that the girl could find peace at some stage. She deserved it more than anyone right now.

Raven shook her head of her thoughts as she stared down the barrel of her gun. The woods were quiet and Raven was on red alert for any Grounders.

There had been roughly 20 delinquents chosen to sweep the forest for signs of Clarke or Finn in groups of two and Trina and Pascal had gone out for their sweep around the early evening before things had gone pear shaped.

The both of them had had rifles with them and so when the sound of gunfire had echoed throughout the camp. Monty and Jasper had volunteered to go and investigate especially when they realised some of the sweepers had disappeared.

They both had radios and once they had reached the site of the gunfire they had(stupidly) decided to split up. Monty had gone radio silent after only a few minutes, but Jasper hadn't had that luxury.

Jasper had radioed in saying that there was a large amount of Grounders approaching the camp and despite everyone's advice he had decided to try and take on some the group.

The last they had seen from him was his designated distress call before his radio too had gone silent. It was soon after the distress beam that things had gone to shit.

These behemoths of Grounders had started to bum rush the wall and what was concerning was that from the chatter over the radio they required a couple of shots to put down.

Raven wasn't entirely sure which cave these Grounders had been hiding in, but she was upset at having to deal with a gun instead of her laser beams.

Whatever blocking effect was on her powers was undoubtedly due to the Grounders having drugged her and she knew now wasn't the time to bemoan her temporary lack of powers.

The delinquents were slowly running out of bullets and they had been told that once their gun ran out they had to make their way to the dropship to get weapons.

Unfortunately, it appeared as though these monsters had some sense as they had begun to draw the fire of the guns after at first taking heavy losses.

According to the radio, of the 40 that had been equipped with guns, only 7 had bullets left and there were only 30 or so dead Grounders. Aiming a gun was apparently a skill the vast majority of them lacked as it turned out.

Jasper had reported that there were way more than just 30 of them. His estimate had been in the high 80s at the very least and Raven knew that was him low balling it.

Shots rang out the camp as the last remaining gunners took pot shots at the approaching Grounders. Some of the Grounders fell, but they had gained territory and soon Raven was the last remaining gunner with one bullet left.

Roughly 10 minutes had passed since Monty had gone radio silent.

Raven began to backtrack away from the wall once she saw various shadows begin a full on sprint once they realised the delinquents had run out of bullets.

Bellamy stood at the front of the delinquents as they awaited the inevitable. It happened in a flash. The Grounders broke through the wall like it wasn't even there and then it was on.

Bellamy was leading the counterattack and he was slamming Grounder after Grounder into the trees, walls and the ground, but they kept standing up.

Miller was struggling too as his metal armour was pockmarked with dents and Raven knew that his armour was strong enough to stop a rifles bullet cold. Their opponents were clearly in another class entirely.

These Grounders were hollering and had crazed eyes. Raven found a target and she aimed and fired her last bullet. The bullet hit the man in his back and Raven expected the man to fall on his face, but that didn't happen.

He turned slowly towards Raven even as his back was dripping blood. He let out a scream of anger that chilled Raven's bones before running right at her.

Raven instinctively took a step back and she stumbled over the body of a delinquent, their body having been pierced by a sword that hadn't even been removed.

The monster was lugging a sword behind him and he seemed to relish his slow walk to Raven. Finally, he reached just in front of her and he lifted his sword up high and was about to swing down when it happened.

A cloud of black smoke obscured Raven's vision for a fraction of a second and she felt something splash on her face when she came to she saw Anya of all people standing in front of her.

The woman had her dagger held in her hand and it was completely covered in blood. It was then that Raven looked back at the man who had just been about to kill her.

His throat had been slashed open and was squirting bright red blood it was only then that he fell backwards and hit the ground with a loud thud. The blood had been what had landed on Raven's face and she barely paid that any attention as Anya spoke.

"Get your people to the ship. Clarke has a plan,"said Anya before disappearing in another cloud of smoke. She appeared in front of another of the behemoths and there was a quick flash of silver before he too fell to the blade of the woman.

Anya's appearance had seemed to help shore up their defense as she flickered back forth waving those who seemed to be in trouble. Raven was about to rise, but she cursed when another of the monsters seemed to have spotted her.

Raven tried to scramble to her feet and she was successful, but she had no weapon to use. However, before the man could even begin to approach her he was sent flying and Raven had to duck as he was sent hurtling over her before his skull collided with the wall.

He didn't get up.

Raven turned back and she only got a glimpse of blonde hair before she felt herself get dragged somewhere. She realised she was inside the dropship and there were about 15 other people already inside.

"You okay, Raven?"said Clarke and Raven let out a sigh of relief as she saw who had carried her into the dropship.

"Yeah,"said Raven and Clarke smiled sadly and said,"I need to go. Those guys are bad news. I need to get everyone in the dropship. "

Clarke put Raven down and she began to collect the last remaining delinquents that weren't already inside the dropship.

The reapers were slowly coming into the camp and Clarke knew that the delinquents would soon be overrun. It did seem like some delinquents had run off as soon as the reapers had come through the gate and Clarke tried not to let that worry her.

Clarke tightened her grip on the dagger Anya had provided for her and she ran back into the melee. She slashed the throat of a reaper that was hounding Fox and Mike and she picked them both up before taking them into the dropship.

There were already a few casualties, but Clarke tried to ignore the dead bodies of her people.

If anything the bodies made her more angry.

Anya stood in front of the dropship with Octavia and Miller. They were both holding off any reapers that were getting a bit too close to the dropship, but they were close to getting overrun by the last remaining reapers inside the camp.

Clarke aimed her hands at group of 7 reapers that were rushing the dropship and she fired a large blast of fire at them. Her aim struck true and all 7 reapers were set on fire.

Clarke made eye contact with Anya and nodded. The woman understood the signal and she grabbed onto the arms of the two teens in front of her and teleported away presumably inside the dropship.

The reapers weren't an organised force. The ones that weren't engaged with fighting the delinquents were actually fighting each other. It was horrifying to see especially when one reaper killed his comrade and began to eat her flesh.

Clarke shot a stream of fire at that one and she didn't let up until his screams stopped. The majority of the reapers were still trying to bulldoze their way through the gate despite there being multiple breaches in the wall.

It was odd. Some of them had shown to be I intelligent fighters and yet the vast majority were almost mindless.

A flash of black drew her attention and that was when she saw the reason why the reapers were struggling to break through the gate.

Bellamy had both his hand held out in front of him and Clarke guessed that he was using his telekinesis to keep the gates shut which must have been extremely difficult considering how strong they were.

Clarke ran over to Bellamy and she used her psionic powers to assist with holding the gate back. She turned to Bellamy who seemed surprised by the sudden help and said,"Clarke? Where the hell have you been?"

"I'll explain later,"said Clarke as she focused more and the gates were shot straight through the crowd of reapers and some were crushed beneath the heavy wooden doors,"Some of our people ran off into the woods. I need you to go and look for them. These guys aren't Trikru or anything. We're at peace with the Grounders for now, but these guys aren't a part of the coalition. Anya called for some reinforcements from a nearby village so just tell them that you're working with Anya."

The reapers had begun to rush the gate and Clarke hastily made a wall of rock rise up to cover the breach. Bellamy looked surprised at the turn of events, but nodded and he gave her a hug before saying,"Stay safe, Princess."

Clarke returned the hug with equal fervour and said,"You too, Bell. We can't do this without you."

Bellamy separated from the hug and nodded at Clarke before he ran through one of the holes in the back wall and luckily none of the reapers had noticed or followed him.

Once she was sure he was far away, Clarke focused intently and she felt her body scream in protest as she began to use her powers in earnest.

First, she linked to the dropship and made the door close. It began to rise slowly and Clarke saw the delinquents watching from the top of the ramp. Octavia tried to run out, but she was stopped by Anya who grabbed onto her arm.

Clarke smiled through the pain and finally turned back to the reapers. The dropship door was closed and Clarke hoped that it would provide enough protection for anyone for what was to come.

Clarke jumped to the top of the dropship and she landed somewhat heavily. Her new vantage point allowed her to see the sheer amount of reapers that were only now trying to circle around the camp and pen everyone in.

Clarke ignored the sudden change of approach by the Reapers and instead she focused entirely on getting this right.. It was the first time Clarke was trying this, but there was no other safe way out of this.

If she had tried to take them all on up close, all her speed and strength wouldn't have helped her just due to the sheer number of Reapers.

Clarke focused on her hands first and she was relieved when they both transformed into flames. It wasn't an armour and Clarke was able to perceive that her hands were essentially solid flames at that moment.

She spread the effect over body and Clarke was relieved to see the effect didn't burn her clothes, but rather converted them into similar articles of solid flame.

She had suspected that this would happen considering it happened to Octavia and Miller as whenever they transformed, but she didn't want to end up burning her clothes especially since those were all in short supply.

Soon, Clarke rose to her feet and from the position on top of the dropship she stood like a beacon in the dark.

Her entire body was now completely made of the solid fire,or plasma if she recalled correctly from her science lessons, and it looked as though she had been carved from the Sun.

The reapers too had noticed her atop the dropship and the began to scale the walls of the camp. Clarke could see that they were nearly a hundred of the monster spilling into the camp and she waited until most of them were inside before jumping right into the biggest crowd of them.

!*

!*

!*

!*

Instinct activated and Clarke was forced to contort and bend her body as the Reapers sought to hit her. She felt something hit her back hard and she was sent flying, but she recovered from the hit quickly enough.

She looked back and saw a reaper rolling on the ground completely covered in flames obviously the culprit of who had struck her.

Clarke was now completely surrounded by the Reapers and again they seemed to have become more cautious as they instead decided to surround her in a circle. They weren't even any that approached the dropship.

It was perfect.

Clarke focused her fire powers the same way she had used her psionic powers earlier in the day, but to a greater extent.

Her psionic powers were her default form of attack from distance since they were both what she was most familiar with and were also ideal for non-lethal suppression.

Her elemental powers were more lethal and so she tended to avoid them if she could.

This wasn't one of those times.

It had taken a while to figure it out, but the Novus didn't allow her to just steal or activate powers. It allowed her to combine them. It was why her Instinct had caused her to use her wind control powers to deflect the Trikru warriors attack just earlier that day or when she had made a psionic dome when Anya had tried to gut her on the bridge.

She wasn't meant to use them separately, but in tandem. She suspected her conversion ability was the reason her clothes hadn't just burnt away.

Her powers weren't separate tools, but rather pieces of a whole and that more than anything set the Novus apart from the rest.

With that in mind, Ckarke released the fire from her body in a manner reminiscent of earlier today when she had been captured. Her elemental powers weren't that easily shaped, but her psionic powers were and so she used the malleabilty of her psionic powers and pure destructive powers of her fire control to create a blast of fire that incinerated everything caught in its path.

Clarke continued to expel the flames from her body and she didn't stopped even as the smell of burning flesh and horrified screams assaulted her senses.

It was perhaps ten seconds later that Clarke let up and she extinguished the flames. They disappeared as quickly as they came and Clarke let out a sigh of relief once the flames were once again restricted to her own body.

Clarke surveyed the area and she was horrified to see an array of skeletons blacked with burn marks all around her. The walls of the camp had also been assaulted by the flames as they were covered with small flames here and there, but luckily they hadn't extended into the surrounding woods.

The dropship was completely charred on one of its side, but just as Clarke had hoped it was still entirely intact. The metal used for spaceships were obviously extremely durable and the dropship was clearly no different as it had withstood the flames.

Clarke's flame armour was still on and she only realised it once she heard a hissing noise come from her face. She felt a liquid running down her nose and she dimly realised it was blood dripping from her nose, but they boiled as soon they exited her nostrils.

The hiss of the drop ship's ramp lowering drew her attention and she turned towards it once it was fully down to see Raven and Octavia looking at her with astonishement and fear.

That hurt.

Octavia wasn't sure what had happened tonight. They were attacked by a bunch of crazy monsters. Anya started helping people get to safety and then the next things she knew Clarke locked everyone in the dropship to take on the army of monsters and she won.

The girl looked as though she was a star in human form. Her body was glowing a warm orange yet her eyes, mouth and hair were a gleaming white. Octavia looked at the skeletons surrounding Clarke and she had to stifle a gasp at the sight.

There had to be at least 80 skeletons surrounding them and they were all covered in burns. Octavia had to fight a wince once she realised many of the skeletons' jaws were wide open as if they had suffered throughout the entire moment of their death and beyond.

The curtain behind her rustled as more and more of the delinquents spilled out into the camp under the full moon and they were far less capable of holding back their reactions as they let out gasps and screams at the sight of Clarke.

Octavia was certain she saw Clarke's shoulders drop as she took in the horrified looks of the 24 delinquents and one Grounder. It was jarring to note that she too had developed a similar expression of fear across her face.

In fact, the only person who didn't seem afraid of Clarke was Anya who began to walk down the ramp towards Clarke. Anya stopped a few metres away and said,"Klark, it's okay. You're alright. Everyone is safe. You saved them."

This time Octavia knew she saw Clarke's shoulders drop and she felt her heart break as she heard the broken tone in Clarke's voice.

"I killed them all,"said Clarke slowly as the images of the skeletons and burning bodies and the fear across the delinquents faces swirled in her mind,"I'm a monster."

Anya stepped closer to Clarke despite the discomfort she felt at the heat in the air and said,"No, you are not a monster. You saved your people from a fate worse than death. I've seen real monsters and you're not one of them. You're a hero."

Two white, trails had begun to snake their way out of Clarke's eyes and Octavia felt her heart break more at the sight of Clarke crying and yet she couldn't find any words to say to comfort her or even move her feet at all.

"Thanks, Anya, "said Clarke before suddenly the flames across her body were extinguished. Whatever energy Clarke had been running on seemed to have run dry as she fell backwards, but Anya had teleported behind her and caught her.

It was still the middle of the night, but there were still large flames burning in the camp so everyone was still able to see quite well.

A flash of light in the sky drew Clarke's attention and she was surprised to see what she recognised as Arrow Station break into the atmosphere.

The others had noticed it to and there were gasps of surprise as they saw the station fall to the ground, but there were more surprises in store for them as the multiple stations of the Ark began to fall into atmosphere.

Clarke was elated to see that there were survivors of the Ark, but what worried her was that some of the stations weren't designed for re-entry into Earth and so she wasn't quite as surprising as the other delinquents and Anya when one of the stations exploded in the sky.

"What is that?"said Anya in confusion as she steadied her grip on Clarke.

"It's not what. It's who,"said Clarke and perhaps for the first time Clarke noted how drained and tired she was,"Those are my people."

The delinquents watched in haunted silence as they watched the stations of the Ark enter the atmosphere. There would be screams of despair as a station would blow up in the air and soon the stations would no longer be visible as they disappeared behind the tree line

The entire light show was soon done and a well of uncertainty filled Clarke as she realised that the stations weren't equipped with parachutes or anything of that sort so them not exploding didn't guarantee their survival.

The sombre tone in the camp told her everyone had realised it and she decided to try to give everyone a rousing speech. Anya had reluctantly let her stand and she sent a grateful smile to the older woman. She was about to speak, but then it happened.

Metal canisters shot out from the surrounding area and they landed across the entire camp. Red smoke began to leak out of the canisters at a rapid rate and Clarke felt her sense of balance go completely off as she reflexively breathed in the fumes.

All around her the delinquents began to drop and it was only her and Anya who were barely concious and so Clarke was the only one who heard Anya's last words.

"Maunon,"said Anya with visible fear in her eyes and the woman must have seen the confusion across Clarke's face as she added,"Mountain Men."

Mountain Men?

Clarke got a bad feeling about this and she tried to use her wind powers to dispel the noxious fumes, but to her horror nothing happened. She tried again with her fire, lightning, water, anything.

Nothing.

Clarke fell face first onto the ground and the last thing she saw was the green laser scope of a rifle held by a man in a strange suit. There was a gunshot and Clarke felt pain erupt in her side before everything faded to black.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Into season 2 we go! Expect the unexpected!**

**I changed season 1 up quite a bit and there should be enough indications to show that this isn't the exact world Clarke and co are in. I changed up the final battle and hey look Anya and Clarke seem to have reached a rapport of sorts.**

**Who knows what that means for their relationship ? I'm kidding...sort of...not really...you'll have to read to find out.**

**As always, please review. I got a review yesterday and that was what pushed me to spawn the last half of this chapter. It was at 6K but it reached a respectable 13K so it's all good.**

**Again, please review. I love your feedback and input. Something's up with Clarke and you can bet some friction will exist between the delinquents starting extremely soon. They've gotten on well enough for long enough now.**

**Yeah i was kidding about the pairing thing. I think so anyways. Thats for you to decide. **


	9. Lurker

**Hi guys we're getting the ball rolling here.**

**As always, please review. I love to hear your feedback and again PM me with ideas or theories you might have for this story. I won't spoil much, but I can answer a few questions.**

**Song recs:**

**Otis – Jay Z and Kanye West**

**Gold, Guns, Girls – Metric**

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Clarke opened her eyes and she was surprised to see that she was back in her cell on the Ark. She breathed heavily and she looked around the room in sheer confusion.

The room was the same six by six square it had always been, but now there were various drawings on the walls of the room. There was one of everyone she knew.

Her mom, Raven, Octavia, Bellamy, Roma, Anya, Wells, Tris and there was even one of Lincoln.

She put her hand on one of Bellamy with a snarl on his face and she was surprised as she felt the feeling of being transported somewhere.

_Bellamy's face twisted into an expression of disgust before he said,"You know Clarke when we first got here I thought you were many things annoying, privileged, brave, smart and even a leader, but this is the first time I ever thought you were weak."_

_"If I'm so weak,"said Clarke coolly as blue light radiated from her hands,"Why don't you prove it?"_

_Bellamy cracked his knuckles and said,"Fine by me."_

_Immediately after the words left Bellamy's mouth there was a flash of blue and Bellamy felt something smash into his stomach sending him flying through the air before he hit the ground and rolled to a stop._

_Bellamy looked up at Clarke who still had her hands extended towards him and said,"Is that all you got?Stop pulling your punches."_

Clarke let go of the drawing and she realised the drawings must represent her memories. She put her hand on one of Octavia with her hands aloft and she smiled at the memory.

_"We're back bitches!"_

Clarke frowned as she saw one of the Exodus ship and despite knowing what it would show her she pressed her hand into it.

_Of course, you had a plan of attack. This is why you send out the pawns first,"said Diana cryptically._

_The others were confused by what that meant until a green laser similar to Jasper's own beam of energy went straight through Roma's chest directly over her heart._

_ The beam had been so quick and sudden that Clarke was unable to get close enough to Roma._

_Roma fell down and everyone knew instantly that she was dead._

Clarke pulled away from the wall and she breathed heavily as she felt sweat gather on her brow.

It felt like the room was closing in on her and so Clarke ran out leaving the haunting images behind her. However, her confusion only grew as she made it out into the walkways of Alpha Station which was far, far away from the Sky Box.

Clarke looked behind her and she was shocked to see that there was no door behind her. The hallways were dark and Clarke felt on edge until she saw some of the lights overhead begin to turn on.

Clarke walked in the direction of the lights and she knew where she was being led having made the trip a few times when she was younger with Wells.

Therefore, when she stood in front of the Chancellor's office she took a deep breath and she was finally able to put a face to the voice that haunted her mind and dreams.

The woman was busy typing at a computer and Clarke watched as the woman didn't even seem to notice Clarke's presence.

Finally, the woman looked up and a small smile came over her face as she said,"Hello, Clarke. So nice of you to drop by."

Clarke felt her ire raise and she said,"What do you want, Darah?"

Darah ignored the question and sighed slightly,"Wow, did they get rid of manners on the Ark too. In my day, you had to respect your elders. How far has humanity fallen."

Clarke wasn't going to play this game, though, and she lifted her hands at Darah,"I don't Carr about manners. I want to know why you've been in my head. If you don't..."

A small ball of fire began to form in front of Clarke's hands and yet Darah barely reacted as she said,"Wow, no wonder Raven and Octavia looked so horrified. You're a little _monster_, aren't you? If you want to do this the long way then fine. Do it. "

The small ball grew larger and Clarke's anger grew with it. The relaxed posture and calm look on Darah's face annoyed Clarke, but it was her words that were doing the trick and Clarke was sure she was going to burn this woman to a crisp if she didn't keep her mouth shut.

"Oh, what's wrong?"said Darah as she noticed Clarke's arms begin to tremble,"Are you upset? I suppose no one likes to hear this, but face it Clarke you _are_ a monster. How many people have you killed since landing? I bet you don't know. If I were your friends, I'd be scared too. You were so willing to offer, Mbege or whatever his name was, to that tribe. You say you're not like the Chancellor and yet there you were playing God with people's lives."

The flame reached the size of a basketball and it was steadily rising.

"I don't know why people bother being close to you anyways, "added Darah as if she wasn't facing a giant ball of fire,"Anyone who ends up close to dies. Wells. _Roma_. Your fath–"

Clarke let out a scream of pure anger as she shot the largest stream of fire she has ever made at Darah. The sream of fire zipped through the air, but it was stopped cold by a red barrier that appeared just in front of the woman.

Clarke knew her face was showing just how confused she was as a red barrier identical to that Clarke sometimes made with her psionic powers, but red in colour appeared in front of Darah.

Clarke stopped the stream and she was surprised to see Darah holding her hand out and there was red light rolling off of her exactly like when Clarke used her psionic powers.

Darah's eyes were also emitting red light and Clarke felt a pit form in her stomach at the sight.

"You didn't really think I would let you in here if I didn't have a way of defending myself, did you?"said the woman and Clarke ignored the incredulous tone of the woman as she made her way to the chair on the other side of the desk.

Darah raised a brow at the change of approach by Clarke, but Clarke didn't let it affect her as she stared at the other woman.

"We're in my head, "said Clarke finally and Darah's eyes lit up.

"Oh, you're a smart one,"said Darah jovially before her tone shifted,"Yes and no. This interface was created by the AI inside the Novus Darwin nanobots."

"Why are you here?"said Clarke as she saw that Darah was finally serious,"You died over a century ago."

Darah nodded and said,"I suppose that's what everyone thought. You see I knew that eventually humanity would return to Earth. In fact, I strongly suspected that there were still humans on Earth. You know the human genetic structure is amazing. Perhaps we don't have the strongest or fastest bodies, but we're the jack of all trades. We can adapt to any sort of environment given time and this isn't just from an evolutionary perspective. Every single species of animal on Earth was always affected by their environment. Polar bears fur turned white. Birds migrated during winter and so on and so forth."

Darah paused and now she was looking at Clarke directly, "However ,humans are different. We were the first to adapt _our environment_ to us. That's how you survive. Action not reaction. It's why our population grew while those of animals fell. As amazing as animals are, they simply didn't have the intelligence, foresight or vision to be the apex predator that the humans are. "

Clarke bit back her annoyance at the woman's lecturing and said,"I understand all that, but what does any of that have to do with you being in my head?"

Darah sighed and said,"Excuse me, evolution is one of my passions so I apologise if I get sidetracked. To answer your question, I didn't die that day of the rebellion. In fact, you could say I never died at all."

Clarke's brow furrowed and she said,"They found your corpse in your lab. Your body either got floated or eaten by the people of the Ark. You definitely died."

Darah smiled despite the dark nature of the question and said,"So you say, but yet here I am. As a child my parents had always encouraged me and my siblings to learn up on various things. Economics. Politics. Medicine. They wanted to raise world changers and for the most part yes they were successful. The three of us certainly left our mark on the world although ironically we ended up distancing ourselves from each other due to a few unfortunate incidents so we never the unified power family that my parents so badly wanted. Anyways, one thing that I had read up on from my youth was existentialism and I won't bore you with the specifics, but I wouldn't say I'm dead. "

"What are you then?"said Clarke intently as she focused on everything the woman had to say.

"I simply am. There had been massive unrest on the Ark due to my experiments and I knew that my days were numbered so I engineered a way to upload my mind onto the Evolutionary Artifical Network or EvAN. That's the AI that runs the Novus nanobots in your body,"said Darah idly as if she were speaking about something mundane.

"You uploaded your mind, "said Clarke incredulously as she looked at the woman in front of her in awe,"You didn't commit suicide. You just uploaded your mind and left your body behind knowing people wouldn't look too deeply into your death."

"Yes,"said Darah,"Let me tell you it wasn't easy. I knew years in advance that soon someone would come for my position and so I made sure that I'd have an out. The Darwin nanobots will be the key to human survival and I had to be there to see it."

"You sound mighty sure of yourself?"said Clarke as she scoffed,"The American government already mimicked what you did and after the Blight I doubt many Arkers who take your serum will activate powers so it's not likely you'll be as revered as you think."

Darah's eyes turned icy,"I don't care about being revered. Everything I've done has a purpose. Your people call me a monster or evil or cruel, but I do not regret what I had to do and you will see that what I did was necessary. If I had to choose between allowing humans to survive and being popular, I'd take the former every single time. I'm used to being overlooked and dismissed and even so I shouldn't care, but with my knowledge it would have been a waste if I had not been able to invent the Darwin nanobots. They are the keys to the survival of the human race as are you Clarke. "

Clarke felt unsettled by the anger in the woman's voice, but didn't let it show as she said,"Me? What do I have to do with this?"

Darah looked at her and said,"We're more alike than you'd care to admit. We're both willing to sacrifice all we are for the betterment of others even if they don't deserve it. You think you're better than me, but just yesterday you burnt over 90 people to death and the only person who wasn't afraid of you wasn't your friends or fellow delinquents. It was some woman you met a few days ago. "

A loud, metallic groan echoed out from below Clarke's hands and the girl realised she had bent the metal arm of her chair in frustration as she listened to Darah's speech.

"Shut up."

"We aren't meant to be loved by others,"said Darah,"That's not our destiny. "

"_Shut up._"

"We're doomed to lurk in the shadows so our people can play in the light,"continued Darah as her eyes glazed over,"Hatred and scorn will be the only payment we will receive for saving everyone and once it's all said and done we'll fade away into the shadows never to be seen aga–"

Darah was cut off as Clarke threw her chair into the side of the wall. It impacted with a loud crash and Clarke breathed slowly to control her anger.

"We are not the same,"said Clarke slowly," I don't know what delusions you have, but we never have and never will be the same. I actually care for people. You say these nanobots were humanity's key to survival, but the truth is that humanity would be here with or without your inventions. You say being human is to adapt your surroundings, but you're wrong. Being human is to endure. Being human is to love. Being human is living with your mistakes and trying to repent for them. You don't care that you killed or experimented on hundreds of people. You don't care that you caused an era of living so dark it had to be scrubbed from history. You don't care. That's why we're different and why we'll never be the same."

Clarke took a few breaths to calm herself from her tirade and she relished in the look of shock and annoyance across Darah's face.

"You remind me of someone I used to know,"said Darah finally as she stared off into space,"She was always on about love, penance, self-sacrifice and all of that. I hated her so much sometimes and yet I still loved her more than I've ever loved anyone before."

Clarke was surprised to see a downtrodden expression come into being on Darah's face. She supposed that even people as harsh as her must have had people close to her.

"You know, Clarke,"said Darah finally, "They say that there is inherent darkness in every human, but that's wrong. The _world_ itself is evil and covered in lies, deceit and betrayal. You can try to fight it, but in the end it will swallow you whole and you'll become the very thing you hated the most."

Clarke didn't say anything to indicate that she had heard Darah, but they both knew that she had taken that to heart. There was silence for some time before Darah spoke again.

"Well enough depressing stuff,"said Darah,"You're waking up so we'll have to cut this chit chat short. The last thing I wanted to tell is to stop using your powers."

Clarke raised a brow and said,"Why would I do that?"

Darah sighed and said, "We both know that Novus is damaging your body. You've been hacking up blood for weeks now and sooner or later it's going to be harder to hide. You activated a lot more powers sooner than expected and so the acclimatising process of Novus hasn't fully completed. It should be done within a day at the most, but until then don't use your powers unless it's extremely dire. You can get away with using Instinct, but anything else would be bad for you. Both our lives hang in the balance if you don't need my warning and besides who'll volunteer to be the Commander's slave if you're gone?"

Clarke ignored the jibe and said,"Acclimatising process? Is that what I saw when I used Insight on myself?"

Darah nodded and said,"Yes and it really should have been done a while ago, but you hardly ever rested. Your body should have collapsed days ago from the sheer strain you've been putting it through. You're lucky to be alive that stem cell regeneration capability you stole was able to mitigate the worst of it. "

Clarke raised a brow and said,"Stem cell regeneration?"

Darah nodded and said,"Yes, as you know the Novus improves the capabilities of any power you happen to steal and as you know accelerated healing would be pretty terrible if the chance for imperfections were as prevalent as they are in how humans normally heal. Your cells aren't splitting whenever you injure a part of your body. They're regenerating and the same goes for your tendency to heal other people."

"That's...great,"admitted Clarke as she realised just why her healing was better than those of the Grounders if Tris was to be believed anyways.

Clarke began to fade away and Darah didn't look surprised as she said,"Well Clarke, this was rather enlightening. I only have one piece of advice for you."

Clarke's body had almost fully disappeared, but she still heard Diana's words clearly.

"Sometimes, the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know. "

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

White.

That was the first thing Clarke noticed about the room she was in. She looked around and saw that she was in a medical frock. Her skin felt faintly irritated and Clarke could smell the distinct scent of disinfectant soap coming off of her.

A blinking light in the corner drew her attention and she was surprised to see a camera in the corner of the room. Clarke felt her hackles rise as she recalled the last events before she had fallen unconscious.

The reapers' skeletons surrounding her in the burnt down remains of the camp. Octavia and Raven and all the other delinquents looking horrified at the sight of her...The pieces of the Ark coming down and then Anya's horrified look as she said just one word.

Maunon.

_Mountain Men_.

There was only one significant mountain in the area around the dropship and so Clarke deduced that she was probably inside Mount Weather. The place they were already supposed to have made their way towards once they had landed if it hadn't been for Mason smashing the monitor inside the dropship.

The sheer horror in _Anya's_ eyes, of all people, let Clarke know that she and all the delinquents were in danger. Clarke rose from her feet and she looked through the window of the door.

The room opposite her was empty and Clarke felt frustration and anger boil inside her. Clarke was about to kick the door off it's hinges, but she hesitated as she remembered Darah's warning. Clarke instead looked up at the camera and shouted,"I know you can hear me. I swear if any of my friends are hurt, I'll –"

Clarke was cut off by the sound of her door opening and she was surprised to see an old man enter the room. It might have been the lighting of the room, but the man seemed to have a rather pale and unhealthy skin tone.

"Hello, Clarke,"said the man with a small smile on his face,"My name is Dante Wallace and I am the President of Mount Weather. "

"How do you know my name?"questioned Clarke as she felt her danger senses ticking.

"Your friends told me," said Dante before adding,"I believe their names were Jasper and Miller. They were rather relieved to hear that you were fine. Don't worry they're all safe. You're safe."

"How long have I been unconscious?"said Clarke as she noted the heavy feeling in her limbs for the first time.

"It has been a day and half since we retrieved you from your camp, but we can talk more about that later,"said Dante before he called for someone outside the room,"Maya, please bring in some clothes for Clarke. You must be feeling rather uncomfortable in that. We'll give you some privacy to change and then we can go have a meal. You must be famished."

A girl around Clarke's age entered the room and she was pushing a miniature wardrobe in. She had black hair and also had the characteristic pallid skin that Dante also had.

Maya smiled at Clarke before she followed Dante out the room. Clarke picked out a pair of blue jeans, a pink shirt and a light blue tracksuit top. She put on a pair of sneakers along with socks and soon she was ready to go.

Clarke spotted a pair of stilettos and she felt tempted to break off the heel, but at the last moment she remembered that she was under surveillance. She closed the wardrobe doors and made her way to the door.

She pushed on it and wasn't surprised to see that it opened now. She saw that Maya was waiting for her and the girl spoke up saying,"I'm here to lead you to lunch. All your friends and President Wallace are waiting for you."

Clarke eyed the other girl, but said nothing as she followed her to a lift. The elevator ride was rather tense and despite still having many questions Clarke kept quiet as she waited for the elevator to finally finish it's trip.

The elevator finally stopped at the correct floor and Clarke followed Maya towards the sounds of laughter and clinking cutlery. Clarke turned the corner and she was surprised to see her fellow delinquents seated at the various tables.

A quick headcount showed that everyone that had been there when the gas canisters had gone off were here and so were Jasper and Monty who had been presumed dead or at the very least caught by the reapers.

A gasp drew Clarke's attention and she turned to the source of the to see Monty looking at her with surprise written all over his face. The boy rose from his feet and ran up to Clarke before sweeping her into a crushing hug.

"Clarke!"said Monty as he lifted her up,"You're alright. I haven't seen you since you left with Finn and Raven. Where's Finn and Bellamy? Maya said that the patrol hadn't pulled anyone in with that name."

Clarke sighed and said,"They wouldn't have. Finn is still with Anya's people and I sent Bellamy after the people that ran away from camp."

"Wait,"said Octavia and Clarke was surprised to note that the girl and a few others had moved closer while she was speaking with Monty.

"You're the reason Bellamy died?"questioned Octavia with more than a touch of anger as she looked angrily at Clarke.

"Bellamy's _what_?"said Clarke as she felt dread and denial well up inside her,"There's no way he's dead. No reapers had followed him after I sent him in the woods and I know I killed all of the ones in the camp."

Octavia's voice rose as she said,"Well, you must have missed some. Those monsters killed him. The other delinquents were all there in those monsters nest except for Finn. They hadn't seen anyone matching his description yet. He'll probably pop up dead sooner or later. You did leave him with the enemy after all."

Clarke felt as if her chest was closing in as she listened to Octavia's onslaught. The fear that Octavia's face had shown back at the dropship was gone and was replaced with pure anger. Clarke knew that she should have sent Bellamy inside the dropship, but she couldn't leave the escapees without anyone to protect them.

"The Grounders aren't our enemies. Anya and I made a deal and if Bellamy's dead,"said Clarke emphatically as she stared at Octavia, "It's not my fault. I sent him away knowing he could handle himself and we would go look for him. I didn't expect for all of us to get gassed and when I tried to fight the gas, I got shot with a tranquilising dart and ended up abducted to some bunker inside a mountain. "

"Well, well, well, _Princess_,"said a vaguely familiar voice that practically dripped with sarcasm,"You getting cozy with those savages. I don't know or care whether it's your fault or not, but what I do know it that he's dead."

Clarke turned to the voice and she was surprised to see Murphy in better health than she had ever seen him in. The others– all seemed surprised at his sudden appearance and Clarke voiced her disbelief as she looked at a person she had thought long dead.

"Murphy?"said Clarke as she eyed the beige uniform he was wearing,"What are you doing here?"

"Well,"said Murphy sardonically,"After you guys framed me for murder, tried to hang me and then exiled me for beating up the person who tried to kill me, I wandered the forests for a bit and I got attacked by the fucking Grounders and they kept me in some shitty outhouse where they tortured me for three days before knocking me out."

The looks of horror on the delinquents and surrounding citizens' faces either didn't register or matter to Murphy as he said, "Yeah, they were really welcoming especially that Anya lady. Ripping off my finger nails. Cutting me with a knife, constant whipping and my personal favourite getting hung by my arms from a tree. Anyways, after they knocked me out and I found myself laying outside the doors to here. Apparently, I was being used as bait to lure the guards in here out, but that didn't work out since there was a cell of reapers that attacked and in the confusion, I got taken inside here."

Clarke – along with the other delinquents – were horrified to hear what had to Murphy supposedly under the orders of Anya. It was only now that Clarke could see the faded bruises and scars that littered Murphy's arms and face. She imagined they must have continued beneath his uniform. The uniform in itself raised even more questions.

"You're a guard?"said Miller as if he read the mind of Clarke,"Why the hell would they want you as a guard?"

Murphy smiled wryly and said,"In case you forgot, we all got shots from the Ark. I don't want to get into it too much ,but let's just say that we all have our skills and leave it at that."

Clarke's brow furrowed at that and she realised that in all the time she's been awake not once did the Mountain Men ever mention anything about their powers. If they were at war with the reapers and Grounders then they would definitely know about the powers and considering the fact that they knew about Murphy's powers then well–

"To answer your question, "said Murphy and Clarke made eye contact with him for the first time ,"Bellamy's dead. I was sent out to help with the reapers that were still lingering and trust me I'd recognise that face anywhere. He put up a decent fight, but it didn't last. It's a shame he would have probably been safer in the camp, but you're pretty comfortable sending people out of it. We found another camp and they were all killed by Reapers too. I'm guessing you had something to do with that?"

Clarke ignored the pang of guilt and instead focused on Octavia. The girl was glaring at Clarke and there was a blend of anger, grief and pain in the girl's eyes.

"Look Octavia, "said Clarke in a placating manner, "I doubt Bellamy's dead. Murphy must have been mistaken or something. There's something off about this place and we need to get out of here and look for the survivors from the Ark."

"Why should we?"said Octavia and it seemed as though Clarke's comforting words had done nothing to curb the girl's anger,"They sent us down here to die. We were all going to get floated once we turned 18 and now we should go look for whoever survived that crash? I hope the Reapers and Grounders kill whoever made it out alive if anyone. That's what they deserve."

Clarke's hand clenched into a fist at Octavia's cruel words and despite knowing that the girl was projecting her anger and grief at Bellamy's supposed death onto everyone else that didn't excuse the things she was saying. She sounded a lot more like Mbege or Murphy rather than the smart girl she actually was.

"That's not who we are,"said Clarke calmly to the younger girl,"We're not monsters. They're innocent people on the Ark and they had nothing to do with us getting sent down here. Coming down to Earth was a chance for us to be better and do better. They can't survive Reaper attacks or clashes with the Grounders for long. We need to get them inside here as soon as we can or they'll all die."

Her words only seemed to affect the more level-headed delinquents like Monty and Miller and so it was easy for Clarke to see that the delinquents weren't buying into what she was saying especially as Octavia spoke up just as Clarke decided to walk away from Murphy and everyone to get some food and clear her thoughts.

"You know if you hadn't killed all those Reapers maybe that speech would have had more impact. "

Clarke had grabbed onto a glass to pour juice in, but Octavia's words struck chord deep within Clarke and she crushed the entire glass in her left hand.

The shards dug deep into her hand and the pain she felt radiating through her body made her remember Darah's warning about using her powers. So once, dark red, almost crimson, blood began to ooze from the various cuts that Clarke had inflicted on herself ,she had to consciously stop her healing powers from activating as Maya rushed to her side in a hurry from the opposite end of the dining hall as she moved through the crowd that had gathered at the argument.

"Oh my gosh,"said Maya as she took in the shredded form of Clarke's hand,"We need to get you to Medical. Keep pressure right at your wrist to–"

"Slow the bleeding,"said Clarke as she did as instructed and she walked through the crowd of delinquents that had gathered during her and Octavia's argument as she heard Maya speak into a radio she had.

There were looks of disgust and concern as they took in the state of Clarke's hand, but Clarke ignored them all.

"You good, Clarke?"said another voice and Clarke was greeted by the sight of Raven who looked just as clean as the other delinquents and was decked out in new clothes as well.

However, when Clarke looked at Raven , the mechanic had flinched back just slightly. It must have been no more than an inch at the absolute most and yet it drove a spike straight through Clarke's heart.

"I'm fine,"said Clarke brusquely.

Clarke was guided into a wheelchair with an IV attached by two nurses who must have been summoned from Medical by Maya. She ignored the looks she was being sent by the delinquents as the IV was hooked up to her and zoned out because Darah's words were ringing in her head.

_"Hatred and scorn will be the only payment we will receive for saving everyone._

_"_

At the time, Clarke had thought the woman to be jaded and wrong, but maybe Clarke had been the one who was wrong.

Perhaps, she would fade into the shadows now that all of her work was done. It's not like anyone would miss her.

Maya had caught up to Clarke and she began to speak,"Hey, we have to knock you out for the surgery we'll do on your hand. Those shards are in there pretty deep so it might take a while."

Clarke nodded slowly as she began to feel drowsy from the blood loss. As she was falling unconscious she listened a conversation between the two nurses and Maya.

"Her blood is getting everywhere. We may need to hook her up for a transfusion. "

"Yeah, she's definitely nicked a couple of veins and maybe even an artery. Maya, why don't you go pick out our donor. Prep one of the universal donors. President Wallace and Lorelei would grill us if we let something happen to her."

"This girl must be made of stern stuff. I'd be in absolute agony if I were her, but there's just one tear leaking from her eye. Talk about hardcore."

A slap and a laugh was the last thing Clarke heard before she fell unconscious yet again for what was the third time in two days.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Gravity sucked.

That had been Abby's first thought as she had climbed out the wreckage of Alpha Station. The thrusters that kept the Ark spinning, thus providing a gravitational field for those inside the Ark were obviously not strong enough to mimic the exact gravitational conditions on Earth and so Abby felt as if some giant hand was pressing down on her just enough to feel discomfort.

The communications on the Ark had been fried beyond repair and the status of the 100 and the Exodus ship were completely unknown. The pessimist within Abby had feared the worst and that the 100 had been wiped out by Diana and her people.

Her more optimistic side, on the other hand,had told her that she had nothing to worry about and that all would befine and well with Clarke, Raven and the delinquents once they got to Earth.

If only that side of her hadn't been ruthlessly crushed by the young man in front of her.

"What do you mean they're gone?"questioned Kane as he looked at the tired and haggard forms of Bellamy Blake and Finn Collins.

The Chancellor's pin was gleaming on Kane's shirt and the sight if it sent mixed emotions through Abby. On the one hand, Thelonious had floated Jake despite Abby practically pleading for him to save her husband.

On the other hand, Thelonious had not only given Clarke the best chance of survival with the Novus serum, but he had also exposed the dark history of the Ark and had stayed behind to disengage the 12 stations from the Go-Sci ring.

She knew, though, that the position of Chancellor had taken it's toll on Jaha. He had gone from the fun-loving and cheery man who would watch soccer with Jake, Clarke and Wells to the stern and strict man he was now. Especially after his wife had died of an unexpected disease that had rapidly reduced her brain activity to that of a vegetative state.

Despite popular belief, the medical rationing applied to everyone and Thelonious had been forced to pull the plug on his wife so that she wouldn't drain any more resources. It had happened not even a month after Thelonious had become Chancellor and though he still kept contact with Jake and Abby – it went without saying that the event had changed him.

This was before the stress and strain of being Chancellor of a dying ship had taken its toll on Jaha and perhaps the final nail in the coffin had been Wells forcing his father to send him down as one of the prisoners and then never even getting the chance to speak with him once Raven had established contact with the Ark because his son had been murdered in some twisted revenge plot by a girl whose parents had been floated by Jaha and the girl herself had been sentenced to the Sky Box by Jaha.

She could see why he would want his last act as Chancellor to be a good one. That position had warped Thelonious into a different person and Abby was certain that Thelonious would have never taken the position in the past of he knew what it would cost him.

"I don't know what's so hard to believe, "snapped Bellamy as the irritation that had been bubbling beneath the surface finally broke free,"Some of the delinquents separated from our camp and during the meeting Clarke was having with one of the leaders of the Grounders. The Grounders didn't want anything to do with is after that and basically declared war on us. "

"This leader's name was Anya?"asked Kane as he tried to inculcate the whole story. They had been over this already, but Kane wanted to make sure he knew absolutely every detail before deciding on a course of action.

"Yes,"said Finn in place of Bellamy,"Clarke, Raven and I were trying to find her so we could come to a compromise. Clarke and Bellamy came up with the idea of selling out the delinquents that had been responsible for the attack at the bridge so that the Grounders could exact justice and we could reach an understanding. "

Bellamy had scoffed when he heard Finn talk about 'selling out' Mbege and Diggs and there was an undercurrent of annoyance in his voice as he said,"That sure is a nice way to talk about the guy who saved all the delinquents and you from that Tristan guy."

Finn seemed nonchalant by Bellamy's words and said,"I'm just saying it as it is. In a way, I could see why Mbege and his goons left. You and the Princess were always preaching about how this wasn't the Ark and we would do better down here and then you guys go and kill a bunch of Grounders. It's pure hypocrisy. "

Bellamy grabbed Finn by the scruff of his collar and slammed him against the wall.

"Blake,"said Kane as sternly as he could,"Stand down."

Bellamy ignored Kane and instead spoke to a now bewildered Finn,"Say that again. I dare you."

The table in the centre of the room moved up off the ground and was rising higher as the boys standoff continued.

"That's enough,"said Kane as he wrenched the two boys apart and the table fell to the ground with a loud bang,"Bellamy, you ignored a direct order from the Chancellor. That's one warning. Do it again and you'll have earned yourself 20 shock lashes. "

The two boys had calmed down after Kane's admonition. The three of them retook their seat and Abby decided to try and get the conversation back on track.

"Tell me, Finn. "said Abby in a questioning tone,"You, Raven and Clarke had gone for a meeting with Anya and after being attacked the three of you were separated with you being taken prisoner and according to Bellamy, Raven was brought not too far from the site of the dropship and you aren't sure where Clarke had been taken?"

Finn nodded at Abby to confirm that she was right so far and he waited for the inevitable question.

"So, how is it that Anya went from trying to kill you guys to helping you against those monsters? Is it possible that she and Clarke made an alliance?"asked Abby. She knew that for them to know for sure they would need to speak to Clarke or Anya.

"I don't know honestly,"said Finn before adding,"I guess Clarke and Anya may have reached an agreement, but if what that Tristan guy said to me and Bellamy is true then Anya isn't even in charge of the war anymore."

"This Tristan was acting under orders from the Commander?"said Kane with a thoughtful look and after he received two nods in answer to his question he continued on speaking to say,"Okay then. I'll fetch Tristan from lockup and he'll take me to speak to the Commander. If he was able to build a Coalition amongst 12 warring clans then he must be willing to negotiate with us."

"Are you crazy?"questioned Finn and he was undeterred by the stern gaze Finn had, "We need to find the other delinquents. For all we know, they're being held hostage by the Grounders and you want to negotiate with them? I say we take the fight to them. They respect strength. Let's show them we're not to be messed with."

"So much for hypocrisy, "mumbled Bellamy before he spoke louder,"I hate to admit it, but Finn is right. Lincoln said strength is what the Grounders respect above all else. Let's show them we can't be messed with. If Clarke and everyone are being held somewhere then I'm sure they'll find a way out. Clarke is smart and strong. I wouldn't bet in her being locked up for much longer."

They all conveniently ignored the possibility that she and the delinquents might be dead as it was better left unsaid.

Marcus still seemed unconvinced, but he eventually decided on a course of action as he unsnapped the Chancellor's pin from his shirt.

"We need to do better. This isn't the Ark and death shouldn't be something we should even consider,"said Kane with a serious expression,"However, we need to be prepared for any situation. Bellamy and Major Burns will be in charge of organising the Guard. The construction of the wall had been very quick thankfully so I'll need you to organise guard patrols and you need to get Sinclair to use the hydrazine to make grenades. They have a numbers advantage so we'll need to be able to take down more of them than they can of us."

Marcus then turned to Abby and held out the Chancellor's pin,"In case I don't return then I want you to be Chancellor, Abby. Everyone in this camp trusts you and between the two of us you're more popular than I am. The days ahead might be dark especially if I die and our people will need someone they can look up to."

"I don't like you going deep into their territory, but it's our only chance at this ending peacefully, "said Abby as she took the pin and attached it to her shirt.

"What about the delinquents?"spat Finn as he looked at the two adults,"Are we just going to abandon them? Wherever they are its because you guys and the mighty council thought we were expendable. Is this how we do better?"

Despite himself, Bellamy agreed with Finn. His sister was amongst those missing as well after all. As strong and smart as Clarke was, it had been four days since the attack on the dropship and they still hadn't found even a trace of where they could have gone. It's like they all just vanished into thin air.

Abby looked conflicted especially as she took in the furious expression on the two boys' faces ,but she kept silent as Marcus said,"We'll deal with the delinquents later. You said they were attacked by some other people that weren't like any of the Grounders you've. They might not be Trikru at all maybe they were those traitors that had attacked you guys when you first landed."

Bellamy shook his head and said,"They definitely weren't those traitors. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they were actually Trikru."

Abby looked intrigued and said,"What makes you think that?"

"Their tattoos, "said Bellamy, "The traitors had tattoos, but they were disfigured like someone had tried to burn them. Lincoln said people that were exiled from the Trikru had their tattoos burned of. Those freaks didn't all look the same probably from different clans, but I know for a fact that the tattoos of those who had them were not damaged in anyway. "

"That's enough,"said Kane as he stopped their train of thought,"We don't know anything for sure yet. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."

"More stupid than trusting a Grounder that's actually brought an army here to kill us?"challenged Finn, but a disapproving look from Abby stopped any further arguments.

"That's what he said he would do, but his 'rangers ' aren't anywhere nearby according to our patrol. It's likely he would have first relieved Anya before summoning them,"said Kane undeterred as he stood up and took his shock baton and pistol off of the desk, "In any case, you're right. I'll go with Hudson and Tim as guards. Tou should also prioritise finding the Ark survivors. Alpha Station had the most people on it and we know for sure that Arrow and Hydra blew up, but the status of the other stations are unknown. Mecha Station is likely to have survived and it's the biggest that came down beside Alpha Station and Farm Station. Get Kyle Wick on establishing contact with the other survivors. We need to find them before the Grounders do. We already had an encounter in the woods earlier today, but whoever it was retreated after we connected with a shot."

There were no more disagreements and Kane made to leave, but before he did he turned to them all and said,"May we meet again."

The greeting was echoed by the other occupants of the room and so Kane left the room and made his way over to where he knew he'd find his quarry.

Tristan hadn't moved since he'd been restrained and thrown into the airlock. Bellamy had found him dragging a bunch of delinquents ,including Finn , that were tied together by a rope. Bellamy had apparently slammed him into the ground hard enough to knock him out and had used the rope that was on the delinquents to tie him up.

Luckily, Hudson and Tim were both there guarding him and Kane spoke drawing all three of the men's attention, "Open the airlock. "

"Sir?"questioned Hudsonas he looked at Kane in confusion, but he began to press the buttons that would open the doors of the airlock.

A hissing noise echoed out and Tristan looked intrigued almost as Kane stepped through the doors and pulled out the gag in his mouth.

Marcus stood tall and looked down at the man and said,"Take me to the Commander."

"Or what?"said Tristan with a smile plastered on his face.

Marcus withdrew his pistol and turned off the safety before pointing it at Tristan. Hudson and Tim behind him also took out their rifles and were pointing them at Tristan as they surrounded their prisoner.

"Or you die,"answered Kane.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"This is stupid, Finn,"said Bellamy as the two boys made their way around the fence,"Bullets aren't going to help you much against the Grounders and them not being able to touch you can only go so far."

Finn had a pack on his back and it made a slight clinking noise as the magazines for the rifle he had bounced around. He also had enough rations for at least a week(two if he pushed it) and that would hopefully be enough.

"We've been over this,"said Finn, "One of us has to go and Kane definitely won't let the one with useful powers go so it has to be me. I'm the one who is best at tracking between the two of us so I should be able to find stuff where you couldn't. "

"I still don't have to like it,"muttered Bellamy as his thoughts turned to the delinquents. He suspected they were alive and although a large part of him was worrying about how Octavia was doing there was a larger part that told him his sister could take care of herself. She was a far cry from the girl that lived beneath the floor.

Finn just waved him off and they approached a section of the electric fence where they were secluded. Wick had been on board with the plan having known Raven and Finn from the Ark and so he was going to shut down the electric fence for 30 seconds once he gave the signal.

As if on cue, static flares on Bellamy's radio in four successive beats before the radio went silent.

"Okay, Finn. You might be an ass, but I don't want you to die. Your job is reconnaissance, not combat. If things go south, get of there,"said Bellamy before he grabbed onto other the boy's shoulder,"Go get them back."

The radio flared to life again signifying that their 30 seconds was almost up and Finn scrambled through the fence before giving a nod at Bellamy and leaving.

Bellamy watched as the boy ran into the surrounding woods and despite himself he couldn't help, but feel dread well up inside as he watched the boy make into the woods.

The boy had been off ever since Bellamy had found him being held captive by Tristan and Bellamy wasn't sure of what it was that had caused the change, but whatever it was could not have been good.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"President Wallace, I have to conduct more... There wasn't much I was able to do with the amount I was given and yet the results were astounding! Her blood shows an amazing ability to... We should take the chance to..."

"Absolutely not, Lorelei... we've already reached a compromise on what to with the ... and we've... volunteers willing to...We need to integrate her into our people naturally and not alienate her. It is far too risky to do anything else. "

Clarke's mind began to stir as she felt the last vestiges of sleep leave her body. She woke up to find her hand wrapped in thick bandages that prevented movementand she could feel the sutures and stitches that were sown into her skin.

The conversation Dante was having with a was lady with a deep caramel complexion drew her attention once she was fully awake. She was dressed as doctor with her pristine white coat on and she seemed to be rather put off by whatever it was she and Dante were discussing.

Clarke sat up fully and saw she was now dressed in a medical frock, but to her relief she saw a folded up pile of clothes on the bed adjacent to her. It was different from the previous set she was wearing which were probably pretty saturated in her blood.

Her movement seemed to have drawn the attention of Dante and the doctor as they both looked at her bed when they heard the sounds of the sheets shifting.

"Ah, Clarke,"said Dante as he smiled warmly at her,"I heard there was a mishap of sorts and I'm glad to see you're okay. This is Dr Lorelei Tsing and she is the head of Medicine here at Mount Weather and if there's any further more accidents that you may encounter she's the woman you need to go to. "

The woman held out her right hand to Clarke and Clarke shook it with her non dominant right hand.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Clarke,"said Dr Tsing as she eyed Clarke. The look in her eye unsettled Clarke and it was one of extreme curiosity as if Clarke was an anomaly. The scrutinising look made Clarke feel as though she were a lab rat being examined.

She didn't like it.

"Likewise,"forced Clarke and she practically wrenched her hand from the woman's grip,"How long was I out?"

"One day,"said Dante as he took control over the conversation, "The glass shards had nicked an artery and you had lost a lot of blood, but we were able to give you some of our O-negative blood supply to compensate for your loss. I'm sure you must be famished. A nurse will bring you food from the dining hall and afterwards you can change and meet me in my office so I can give you an orientation of sorts on what is expected of you and your peers."

Dante graced her with a smile before turning and leaving and Dr Tsing too followed suit with a disarming smile of her own, but again it was the older woman's gaze made her feel like a specimen under a microscope.

It was perhaps five minutes later that Maya walked in with a tray of food and even from where she was Clarke could smell the heavenly odour of the food. There was a bevy of fruits, grains and meats and for the first time Clarke felt just how hungry she was as she hadn't eaten since venturing out with Raven and Finn to find Anya.

Maya smiled at her and was about to leave the room, but Clarke spoke up saying,"Thank you. For this and for getting me here on time. I don't usually get that angry, but it's a just what Octavia and Murphy said pushed me to the edge."

Maya looked surprised at and said, "That's okay. I was just doing my job. You really damaged your hand there. From your frame and muscle size, you shouldn't have been able to break the glass the way you did. Your powers, they...excuse me, but I need to go."

Maya trailed off and jerked back violently at the end of her response as if she were about to say something that wasn't meant for Clarke's ears. It piqued Clarke's curiosity and she called after Maya just as the girl began to leave.

"Maya, please wait. What about my powers?"said Clarke as she looked into the eyes of the other girl,"Why can't you speak about my powers?"

Maya looked troubled, but she eventually decided to stay and said,"Dr Tsing and President Wallace, they know you're different. I've heard rumours from the patrollers and John that you control some blue energy and move at high speeds and apparently you created a massive fireball from nothing."

Clarke wasn't entirely surprised that the residents of Mount Weather had found out about her powers, but she was inside of just how much they knew. The thing that put her off, though, was the curious and amazed glint in Maya's eyes. It wasn't as cold and calculating as Dr Tsing's gaze. No, Maya's gaze was that of almost childlike wonderment and curiosity as if she didn't quite believe what she was being told.

It made Clarke wonder why she was so amazed. Surely, the residents of Mount Weather must know about the Darwin nanobots especially after Project Everyman had essentially been designed to bestow powers on everyone.

Project Everyman was a governmental project and Clarke knew that Mount Weather was obviously also under the ownership of the American government. Did the Mountain Men have some genetic defect that prevented the powers gifted by the Darwin nanobots from manifesting ? If so then it would make sense why they stay sequestered in the Mountain and didn't try to push for more land around the Mountain.

Their guns and weapons were all well and good, but Clarke knew that if say for instance Octavia hadn't been blindsided like the rest of them then it would have been a hassle for even 20 of the Mountain Men to put her down given how sturdy her amour was.

A flash of inspiration ran through Clarke's mind and she quickly looked at Maya who thankfully didn't seem to mind Clarke spacing out on her all that much.

Clarke instead looked at Maya and said,"I guess you can say I'm different. All of those things are true by the way. I did do all of those stuff."

Maya's eyes flashed in amazement, but before she could post more questions Clarke said kindly,"Wait Maya, I'm sorry to cut you off, but I need to eat this and change before meeting with Dante. I'd really appreciate it if you stayed."

"Sure,"said Maya,"I'm on a break now."

Maya's easy acceptance almost made Clarke feel guilty for what she had in mind.

Almost.

They remained in a mostly comfortable silence and once Clarke was done eating she placed the tray on the side table beside her.

Maya moved to help Clarke out of bed and Clarke accepted it despite feeling as if she could stand on her own without any assistance. The nurse let go once she felt Clarke was capable of standing on her own and thankfully gave Clarke the privacy she needed to change.

A pair of jeans, a grey shirt and a black hoodie were to be her clothing of choice as well as a pair of underwear and a bra. Luckily, everything was in the right size and the clothes felt comfortable on her body and Clarke grabbed the trainers and socks off of the floor before she sat down on the bed to put them on.

Maya had turned around at the sound of the bed creaking and she grabbed the medical frock Clarke was wearing before pushing it down a chute in the wall.

Maya looked at Clarke and said,"Let's go, President Wallace has probably been expecting you for a while."

Clarke didn't really respond, but she followed after Maya as the girl guided her out of Medical. They walked towards the elevator and Clarke followed after Maya as the girl pressed a button and the elevator began to move towards it's destination.

Finally, the elevator stopped and Clarke followed after Maya as she began to walk down a winding path of corridors. Clarke knew that she was running out of time for her plan.

Clarke knew that she had to leave it to the lat minute and once they'd made one last turn, they were outside the office of Dante. The wooden door was closed and there was a large eagle in flight emblazoned on the wall. There was a plaque that said Commander-in-chief below that in uppercase letters.

"If his door is closed at this time then President Wallace is probably in a meeting at the moment so we should sit here and wait while he wraps up his meeting,"said Maya as she gestured towards the chairs in the corridor that were lined up opposite the door.

Clarke knew now was the time to act so she turned towards Maya and gave her a hug saying,"Thank you so much for everything, Maya. It's been hard to adjust, but you've made it bearable. I feel so...alone..."

Maya was shell shocked to say the least and she did practically nothing as Clarke hugged her tightly. In the end, she decided to return the hug and said,"You know what? I know this cool place that I think you'll like. I've already taken Jasper there and he said you would like what was there. How's that sound?"

Clarke slowly stepped away from Maya. Tears were streaming down her eyes and she said,"I'm sorry. It's just been a lot. Bellamy's death and the reapers and just everything."

Maya looked like she was going to console Clarke, but she stopped when Clarke said,"It's fine I can wait out here by myself. I just need some time to think and process everything on my own before I go inside for my meeting. Haven't had much time to do that."

Maya nodded sympathetically and she gave Clarke a small hug before stepping around the other girl and walking away from the office. Clarke sat down on one of the chairs in the corridor and she allowed the tears to fall until Maya finally turned the corner.

Immediately, Clarke's face changed from one of sadness to one of sheer confusion. The acclimatisation period appeared to be over and the tears that Clarke had pulled from her tears ducts using her water control were wiped away quickly.

Insight was an amazing gift. It gave her a clear understanding of the makeup of whatever she used it on. She had used it for the most part to check for the powers people had, but that was simply scratching the surface.

The Mountain Men had gotten the short straw when it came to evolution. That's what Insight had shown her while she had been hugging Maya. Maya's body couldn't process radiation at all and it wasn't a disease or anything. Her scan had shown her that Maya was perfectly healthy. This was probably a result of the Mountain Men presumably staying in the Mountain since the war.

This was why they hadn't expanded their territory. They couldn't leave the Mountain for fear of dying from exposure to the ambient radiation on Earth.

The other strange thing was that Maya had Nanobots in her system despite being amazed by the images of Clarke's own powers, but they were completely inert. It was almost as if they had been shut down completely from an external force similar to what the Ark had done after the Blight with gene editing machines.

That was what confused Clarke the most however. If they had access to gene editing methods, why haven't the Mountain Men used them to cure them of their extreme weakness to radiation. Surely they had a way to counteract such a debilitating condition.

The door to the office opened and Clarke's eyes were drawn to see Dante along with a young man with pale skin and brown man exit the room. Their conversation was cut short as Dante looked away from the other man and saw Clarke looking at him expectantly.

The other man had fallen silent too and he followed the gaze of Dante to see him looking at Clarke.

"Ah, Clarke,"said Dante before he gestured to the man next to him,"This is Cage, my son. Cage, this is–"

"Clarke Griffin, "said Cage as he held out his hand for Clarke to shake,"It's nice to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you."

Cage seemed like a very charming and articulate man. He smiled disarmingly and Clarke returned his smile as she reached out to shake his hand. His gaze held curiosity, but unlike Dr Tsing it didn't put Clarke on edge.

Quite the opposite actually. It actually reminded her more of Maya than anything.

The thought of Maya made Clarke remember what she had learned about the genetic makeup of the inhabitants of Mount Weather and she decided to use Insight on Cage. Her suspicions were confirmed as she detected the Mountain Men's weakness to radiation, but it also told her something else she didn't quite understand when she contrasted it to Maya.

Clarke let go and after Cage bade her and Dante farewell and she followed after Dante into his office. They were traces of something in Cage's system that somehow boosted the activity of the nanobots in him.

She hadn't had the time to detect how many or even what powers he had, but Clarke was certain that his powers, however many he may have, were active.

Clarke put those thoughts out of her mind as she sat down opposite Dante. The office had many paintings in it and they all drew her eye as she looked over the intricate sketches and paintings.

"We have quite the collection of paintings in Mount Weather, "said Dante after he allowed Clarke to admire the paintings, "Centuries ago, this facility had been built as a bunker for the president in case of war and also to protect various paintings in national museums. "

Clarke didn't say anything in response, but she had turned to Dante to indicate that she was giving him her full attention.

"This was just one of various bunkers across the USA that the president was meant to occupy,"said Dante as he looked around the office,"Unfortunately, the president and the vast majority of high-ranking government officials had not made it here on time. The people that are here today are a mix of the descendants of Mount Weather's staff at the time of the bombings and also those that were lucky enough to be let in."

It went unsaid that there were people who had been turned away from the Mountain.

Dante seemed to have noticed the look on Clarke's face as he said, "It was harsh of them, yes, however we weren't even sure if the resources we had were sufficient for those already inside Mount Weather. We only took in people that gave us a chance to survive. Engineers, mechanics, doctors... anything that would allow the human race to thrive even once the radiation dialled down."

Dante paused before he looked at a picture of a landscape,"That had been painted by my 5th grandmother. She had been President at the time when we had begun to suspect there were people who had survived the radiation. "

Clarke paid rapt attention as Dante continued the story of Mount Weather's past. There had been barely any mention of the Grounders and Clarke had been constantly fighting to remind herself to not ask about Anya. The fact that she had only seen delinquents and locals of Mount Weather didn't exactly ease her worries.

"She had thought that the ground had finally become habitable, "said Dante and he sighed before continuing on to say,"We were wrong. Ironically, the very same people who had been rejected by Mount Weather ended up developing immunity to the ambient radiation of the Earth now. The doors were opened and many of our people had died as our bodies had not adjusted to the radiation levels of the Earth thanks to us being sequestered in here."

Clarke could hear just a tiny bit of longing in Dante's voice and she couldn't blame him. On the Ark, almost everyone spoke of one day returning to Earth and she couldn't imagine how it must have felt to be on Earth yet be trapped in some cold, dank mountain for your entire life. It must have been maddening for the residents of Mount Weather.

"At the time, it had been rather close to a century since the war, but the immunes or surface dwellers had seemingly been warped by the collapse of society, "said Dante and this time there was a touch of disgust in his voice,"Sprawling tattoos, ritualistic scarring and endless fights. We had gone to them with our arms open ready to work together to restore order and civility to the lands, but they refused. They killed everyone who had been sent to the capitol of the nearest clan except for one. He had been sent back to tell us that we were at war with the surface dwellers and ever since then we haven't been able to resolve things."

"If that's so why should you risk your men to get us inside if you're at war with the Grounders?"questioned Clarke before she added,"As a matter of fact, we've been on the ground for weeks now. Why did you only get us then?"

Dante seemed to have expected the question and he said,"If it had been up to me, I would have gotten you guys in here as soon as we can. However, we first needed to do some research and it was only once John came into our hands that we began to plan for your retrieval. It is rather hard to coordinate a search and rescue in hostile land when everything – including the air– is trying to kill you."

It was a fair enough point to be honest. The logistics involved weren't simple, but even then there was still more questions she had.

"What happened to the second camp and the people from the Ark?"said Clarke and she saw a flash of something in Dante's eyes as he heard her question.

Dante sighed and he looked Clarke dead in the eye before saying,"They're dead. The second camp had unfortunately been close to the territory of the cannibals and they got involved in a three way battle with the clan nearest by and the reapers. There had only been reapers left and we had been forced to retreat from there. As for the Ark, we have sent out hourly distress signals across the various frequencies that Raven had said the Ark used. We've received no response so far and our patrols we sent out yesterday reported that the stations were obliterated upon landing. "

"You're lying,"said Clarke as she scanned the man for any signs of deceit. There were none whatsoever however and Dante appeared to be genuinely upset at the news.

"Those space stations were never designed for re-entry, Clarke. Some had exploded in midair. I wish I could tell you otherwise, but I'm afraid I can't do that,"said Dante, but his soothing words were rolling off of Clarke like water on oil.

First, Roma then Bellamy and the other delinquents and now everyone from the Ark. Whatever slim hope she had of her mom being alive were slowly being drained away. Diana had said she had been killed during the mutiny, but Clarke had held out hope just in case.

Clarke didn't even have a guarantee that her mom hadn't been on of the stations that had exploded in midair. She could have been on any one of those and Clarke might never know if she was truly dead or not.

"I'm sorry President Wallace, but I don't believe you. The Exodus ship had been in even worse state the majority of the Ark Stations and it's retrorockets and parachutes activated late,"said Clarke defiantly as her mind scrambled to make sense of everything, "There had still been survivors. Hell, Raven made it in a 200 year old pod just fine. Something as big as Alpha or Mecha Station should have been just fine. You're lying. There's no other explanation. "

The more Clarke spoke, the more it made sense. Surely, the Ark would have had just one survivor even in the worst of cases. Some of the stations had landed perfectly despite others having exploded. The landings were probably rough, but Clarke knew that some of the stations were strong enough to weather the blow they had been dealt. The problem was that if Dante was lying why would he lie about this? It was as if hr didn't want to let the Arkers into Mount Weather.

"Clarke,"said Dante patiently,"I understand that this is not an easy time for you with everything you've been through. You're all just children. Some of you may have been gifted with amazing powers, but that doesn't..."

It was then that Clarke realised what was going here. The inquisitive looks from Dr Tsing, Cage already knowing who she was, not to mention Dante personally seeing to her wellbeing despite being in charge of so many people and at war with the Grounders.

They wanted her.

It was only now that Clarke realised that they definitely knew more about the delinquents than she expected and it was for one simple reason.

Darah's journal.

They knew the delinquents had received shots of the nanobots and thanks to someone –probably Murphy– they knew Clarke had been given the Novus serum and now they also knew all of Clarke's capabilities which was why she had been given universal blood.

Clarke's mom had told her that the Arkers were all O-negative as it had something to do with the ability to filter out radiation better, but it was also the rarest blood type by a large margin. If Mount Weather were willing to pump gallons of O-negative blood into Clarke then it was clear they wanted her for something.

Dante had still been talking while Clarke had had her epiphany and so she decided to get right into the meat of things.

"What do you want from us?"

Dante looked surprised at being cutoff by Clarke. He clearly hadn't expected the huge shift in topic and he had to take a few seconds to calm himself, but Clarke was having none of it.

"You said it yourself, "pressed Clarke,"It was a massive waste of resources to go after the delinquents, but you still did anyways. You left us alone, but you began to plan when Murphy got in here. You've given us free food, shelter, clothes, but you haven't said what you want in return."

Dante had regained his cool as Clarke was in the process of losing her own cool. He could feel the temperature in his office rise ever so slightly and so he decided to appease Clarke.

"As I'm sure you have figured out,"began Dante as he reached into his deal's drawer and pulled out a very familiar book,"We have come into the possession of Darah Sydney's journal and despite us knowing virtually everything about the Duos serum we knew next to nothing about the Novus, but even in my wildest dreams could I not have expected this."

Clarke remained silent as she regarded the President of Mount Weather. His body language was as confident and calm as always, but it was in his eyes where she could find the excitement that had leaked into his voice.

"You can completely alter the genetic structure of anything. It's fitting, wouldn't you say?The last invention of Darah Sydney – the pioneer of genetic editing machines – is the best genetic editor that has ever been created,"said Dante as he placed the book down between them,"Some of the delinquents told us you had a way of gauging what powers one had and if they had the potential to activate any. In fact, Jasper said you had the ability to steal powers and take them for yourself. An amazing ability that accompanies the bevy of powers you already have at your disposal. "

Clarke felt vaguely annoyed that the delinquents and Jasper had spoken so freely about her powers to the Mountain Men, but it appeared as though she was the only one of her peers to be suspicious of their abductors. The looks and glances she had been given during her argument with Octavia and Murphy was proof enough if that.

"I know all of that already. I read the journal too, but I asked you a question, "said Clarke impatiently as she felt her anxiety rise at what Dante may want from her.

"Clarke, of the 390 residents of Mount Weather not one of us has had the chance to feel the ground beneath our feet or smell the scent of a rose or swim in a river,"said Dante wistfully, "I thought we would never get the chance to ever reclaim the surface, but then you fell into my hands. You can make my people immune to the radiation and that combined with the power of you and your peers and our sheer military power will force the Grounders to finally stop their endless battles and we can rebuild an actual society instead of the pitiful world we live in now."

Clarke was reeling from the sheer passion in Dante's voice as he explained the plan. She understood why he would want this. The Mountain was just as dreary as the Ark if not more so. At least on the Ark they had truly believed the Earth to be uninhabitable. The Mountain Men had been robbed of any chance of living on the Ground and had to barricade themselves in a dark Mountain.

It was understandable why they would want her to help her and she would probably do the same if the situation was reversed. Hell, she might have agreed if she wasn't so suspicious of them. Anya's absence was something to worry about. If they knew Anya was close to the Commander, they might be torturing her right now as Clarke sat in Dante's office.

She had made an alliance with Anya and it was Clarke's fault that she was now missing in action, but could she really abandon Anya to help the Mountain Men?

"I accept,"began Clarke and she saw elation rise and then just as quickly disappear on Dante's face as she added,"However, I want to join a patrol and see if they truly are no more survivors from the Ark."

Clarke wasn't actually sure if she was going to go through with helping the Mountain Men, but it was Dante's reaction to her demand that convinced to not go through with it. She recognised what flickered in his eyes right at that moment after being on the receiving end of the looks of the delinquents after the reaper attack .

Fear.

The Mountain Men were clearly hiding something from her and it had to do with the people from the Ark.

"I can't do that,"said Dante,"You're too valuable to risk on a patrol mission. If you were to die, the consequences would be catastrophic and I'd have no choice, but to remove the delinquents as I'm sure they would d have a problem if their great leader died."

A threat.

"You couldn't beat them,"said Clarke confidently and that was exactly how she felt,"Their powers are a lot more destructive than some guns."

Clarke was confident she had the high ground in negotiations which was why Dante's sardonic smile set her alarm bells ringing.

"You think we would let people we couldn't beat inside Mount Weather?"said Dante ominously and Clarke felt her trepidation rise as Dante responded to her boast.

"You will help us,"said Dante sternly,"Or all of the delinquents will be killed and trust me when I say their powers aren't something I need to be worried about should we have to fight."

"What are you talking about?"said Clarke as she rose to her feet.

"You know exactly what I'm saying,"said Dante and Clarke knew he was right.

The Mountain Men had a way to take away their powers.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Earth Skills had been helpful.

That was one of the many thoughts swirling in Finn's head. They had been forced to attend thise stupid lectures, but Finn had been interested in tracking and despite only having book knowledge in it, it was enough for his task today.

For example, the four sets of footprints in the mud showed that there had been a party of people through here not long ago.

One of the sets of footprints were more close to each other as if there was something restricting the feet of whoever made the prints.

The past few days had been chaos. Taven dumping him, Trikru capturing him and then he woke up to find himself untied in the cabin and his power had been reactivated.

He had turned intangible and ran through the walls of the cabin before trying to make his way to the dropship. A large twister of fire had peaked above the treeline and he had gone towards it to see what it was.

Sadly, his body had given out on him and he hadn't made it to what he now knew was the dropship site and as he fell unconscious he saw various streaks of light and fire in the sky.

The Ark had come down.

He had been awoken by a familiar voice screaming and he had discovered newfound energy as he ran to the source of it only to find Tristan standing over the corpses of some of the delinquents.

Finn had barely been time to understand what was going on before he had once again been poisoned with that power cancellor. It had made him groggy and exhausted, but when he collapsed to the ground the tiredness left his body as he came face to face with a girl that was dead from a throat slash.

Tristan killed Fox.

Finn had been in a daze as he'd been dragged by Tristan and then eventually rescued by Bellamy. However, Bellamy had been accompanied by some guards from the Ark and so Tristan had been taken.

He hadn't told Bellamy that Tristan had killed Fox. He told no one, but that wasn't important anymore.

Finn adjusted the fully loaded rifle he was carrying as he traced the path he was sure Kane, Tristan and the Guards had taken that would take them to meet the Commander.

The delinquents didn't matter. Bellamy didn't matter. Raven didn't matter.

All that mattered was that justice would be served.

The Commander and Tristan were to blame for Fox's death. They took her away from Finn.

And so Finn was going to get his revenge on them or die trying.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Hey guys**

**I tried to incorporate some more of the world and I quite like the way it all turned out.**

**I've been busy with university so this is a little late and had a bit of writers block about midway through, but I hope you enjoyed it.**

**As always, please PM me with your ideas and leave your reviews. They're basically my fuel to write quicker .**

**The 100 is drawing to a close and we have to wait for the next and sadly final season, but don't worry I might not compare to the actual thing, but at least you can read this while we wait for the next season to drop.**


	10. Abscond

**I hope you enjoy this one, guys. It's a long one so I hope it makes up for the wait at least a little bit.**

**Song Rec: Dillon Francis – Anywhere**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Clarke wondered how she could have been so _stupid_.

_Of course_, the Mountain Men had a way to switch off the delinquents' powers. Why else would they allow everyone to roam freely throughout the Mountain without fearing what havoc the delinquents could wreak?

The Grounders themselves had their own way of shutting down powers with some sort of poison or plant so surely with the technological advances of the Mountain Men then they too had a way to affect the nanobots.

Whatever it was, though, Clarke was fairly sure that whatever the Mountain Men used to disrupt their powers might have something to do with why the nanobots within Maya were essentially dead.

Clarke couldn't be sure if whatever it was had been used on the delinquents or not, but even if it had Clarke knew that it didn't affect her own powers and that was all she needed to know.

"What's stopping me from killing you and everyone else in this mountain?"said Clarke as she finally broke the silence in the office. Clarke's anger was palpable and her eyes began to glow a dark blue.

There was a tense silence in the air and it stayed like that until Dante finally spoke,"So this is the power John was speaking about? I see why he had been rather terrified of it. Regardless, I'll make this simple Clarke. You may be strong, but right now your friends are under guard and if I don't give my men the all-clear they will all be shot. They're floors between you and them and yes you could make it on time to save some, but the ones you don't save? Their deaths would be on your hands and I'm sure the last thing you want is to be responsible for more of your peers' deaths."

Dante's rebuttal threw cold water over Clarke's anger and the light emanating from her eyes turned sky blue before vanishing entirely. Clarke stared at the man and said,"They're hostages, aren't they? You knew you couldn't shut my powers off when you read Darah's book, but that's where they come in."

Dante didn't even deny Clarke's accusations and nodded,"This facility is an installation of the USA military. It has had some of the world's best engineers and mechanics and some of the greatest technology ever made, but those nanobots have always been beyond our understanding even all these years later. We've discovered ways of shutting them off through various plants, technology and concoctions, but they were a heavy drain on our resources. Finally, a few years ago we stumbled upon something that changed everything. However when I had heard you had crushed tempered glass in your left hand, I knew that you weren't affected by the negator so I had to do what any leader would do. Ensure the safety of my people at any cost."

Clarke had to breathe slowly to control her anger and she eventually pushed it down though it was simmering just below the surface. Clarke looked at Dante and with a voice devoid of any emotion said,"If even one of my friends get hurt, I'll kill all of your people. No amount of guns or bullets will stop me from getting my revenge and that is a promise."

Dante didn't appear fazed by Clarke's threat and said,"Things don't need to go so far, Clarke. All we want is to escape this prison and finally return to the outside. No one in this bunker has felt the wind blowing through the air or the grass beneath our feet. You could make the dreams of everyone inside this mountain come true. "

Clarke felt anger spike within her and she glared at Dante as she said,"I don't owe anybody inside this mountain anything. I took care of the reapers on my own and we were about to get peace with the Grounders before you messed that up so don't think I care about whatever the hell you want for your people. We didn't want or need your help."

Dante looked perturbed by Clarke's harsh words, but before he could get a word in the girl spoke up again,"I'll heal your people depending on your answer to one question."

Clarke paused and when she saw that Dante was willing to negotiate she finally asked the question that had been at the back of her mind,"Where's Anya?"

"That is a discussion for another time, I'm afraid Clarke,"said Dante with finality in his voice and Clarke knew she wouldn't get the truth out of him yet,"I want you to think on my offer. I know you'll do the right thing to protect your people. "

Clarke glared at the man opposite her and she said,"What is best for my people? If I heal you then my people will definitely be enemies of the Grounders. They are way more of them than they are of you. There's no possible way for you to beat them all."

It was the truth. The Grounders had many times the amount of warriors than the Mountain Men did. Perhaps, the technology disparity between the two parties would be a factor, but due to the fact that the Grounders had powers that were capable of wreaking havoc then the Mountain Men's chances were grim at best even if Clarke gave them their freedom.

Dante, however, didn't seem to be worried as he said,"Clarke, you may think that the surface dwellers are powerful, but I can assure you that with you by our side then we can definitely wipe them all out. They would bow to our rule. The power of the Novus–"

Dante was cut off by a harsh laugh from Clarke. He looked at the girl and despite the laugh her face didn't show any signs of genuine amusement. The girl's eyes began to glow and they flickered between various shades of blue before returning to normal.

"You,"began Clarke as she tried to control her breathing,"You expect me to heal your people and then fight the very people I had just achieved an alliance with before you had abducted me and my friends who you're holding hostage so I can't retaliate? "

Clarke looked down to Dante's desk and her eyes caught the sight of Darah's journal. Dante noticed her gaze and he began to reach for the book, but there was a sudden blur before the book vanished and was now held in Clarke's hand.

Dante was about to reason with her, but the words died in his throat as flames burst into life on Clarke's hand. Darah's journal turned to ashes within seconds and Clarke deactivated the flames as she said,"I'll heal your people, but that's it. Furthermore, I'll only heal them once you let me go on one of the patrols for the survivors of the Ark."

Dante sighed and said,"There are no survivors at all. I've cancelled all patrols because the surface dwellers and cannibals seemed to have become more aggressive after you burnt 100 of those monsters to death. The surrounding areas have become impassable. I will not risk any of my men on this futile endeavor of yours. Your people are dead, Clarke. Once the fighting dies down then I can promise you that you'll be on the next patrol group, but until then I can't help you. In any case, I feel as though we have discussed quite enough for today. Perhaps we can reconvene tomorrow and try to reach a better agreement?"

Clarke knew that there was no room for negotiations at this time so she nodded and so she rose from her chair and swiftly exited the office all while thoughts of the Ark being dead kept swirling in her head.

This was the first time that Clarke had been given free reign of the Mountain and she relished the silence that came with it. She had barely had a minute to herself to orientate herself or come up with a plan of action and yet it seemed that unlike with the Grounders or reapers there was no way out of this one.

Clarke walked up to the elevator and she pressed on the button that she knew would take her to her destination. The elevator stopped and Clarke walked out as she began to survey the area for Maya.

With all that has been going on it only occurred to Clarke rather recently that she still wasn't sure where she was supposed to sleep. It was laughable really, but Clarke had spent all of her time sleeping in either quarantine or the medical wing so she didn't have much of a choice.

Clarke probably could try and ask one of the delinquents, but truthfully Clarke didn't feel like speaking to any of them at the moment. Her argument with Murphy and Octavia had really reduced her wish to speak with any of the delinquents.

Clarke turned a corner and she bumped into someone. Clarke had braced herself for impact and so she didn't even move back an inch, but the other person fell backwards onto the ground.

It was only when she got a proper look at the other person she realised it was Maya who was on the floor. Clarke felt somewhat guilty and she held out her hand to Maya who took it after she recognised who was standing in front of her.

"Sorry about that,"said Clarke apologetically as she helped the other girl to her feet,"I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings. "

Maya waved her off and said,"It's okay, I was the one running. Were you here for a check up or something? I promised a friend of mine we would meet up, but I can check you out and get those bandages off now if you would like? It's a little early, but I think it'll be okay."

Clarke shook her head and said "No, I was actually looking for you."

Maya looked puzzled, but she understood once Clarke said,"I don't know where I'm supposed to sleep. I would have asked one of my friends, but we're not exactly on the best of terms right now."

Maya nodded solemnly and said,"I understand. Well, the rest of your friends are in one of the dorm rooms we have and you were supposed to be there too, but President Wallace decided to put you in one of the few empty units we have. I guess that's for the best now considering..."

Maya hesitated to complete her sentence, but Clarke brushed it off as they began to leave the medical area and said,"Don't worry about it. You can say it. My friends hate me and think I'm a monster. It's not like our argument was behind closed doors or something. "

Maya seemed to relax after Clarke reassured her, but she then turned to the other girl and said,"Jasper told me about everything you did and you shouldn't be so on yourself. You did the best you could under the circumstances and no one can say anything else."

Clarke was grateful to hear these words even if it was from someone who Clarke barely knew. Clarke felt guilty about all that she had done–even killing the reapers. No one had the right to play God and decide who lived and who died and yet that had been a choice Clarke had been forced to make again and again.

It ate her up that she had warped into this current version of herself. Perhaps the Ark had always kept her from discovering her true self. It had been roughly 7 weeks since they had landed and yet Clarke wasn't even sure who she was anymore.

She had become a ruthless killer and the transition had been so quick and so seamless that Clarke wondered if this was who she was always meant to be. If so then she could and would bear it. The delinquents were her people and she would do all that she could to help them even if they scorned her and recoiled at the very sight of her.

It was in her nature to put others first. She had learned it from her parents who had jobs that helped the people of the Ark survive despite the misery and monotony of their surroundings. She would help them even when they didn't want anything to do with her. It was just who she was.

That didn't mean that she didn't feel lonely.

"Thank you,"said Clarke finally as she snapped out of her thoughts,"I really needed to hear that."

The girl smiled at her and the two made their way to an elevator. Maya pressed one of the buttons and the elevator whirred to life as it took them to their destination. It was a short trip and once the doors opened Clarke followed Maya as they walked past various doors and turned down various corners before finally coming to a corridor that had a door at the end of the passageway.

There were only two other doors in the passageway and both were on either side of the door at the end of the hallway.There was music emanating from the door at the end and Clarke was surprised to hear some voices she recognised.

"Turn that song up, Jasper!"said a voice despite slurring a lot was easily recognisable as Octavia's.

Clarke turned to Maya, but the girl shrugged and said somewhat embarrassedly,"Your friends may or may not have asked me to steal them some liquor."

Clarke didn't even have the energy to be mad at Maya and she turned to the door that they were in front of,"I'm guessing this is mine? "

Maya nodded and said,"Yes, this is the only unit we have available. I should have told you –"

"It's fine,"said Clarke dismissively, "How do I get in?"

Maya pulled out a key card and she held it out for Clarke to take. Clarke understood Maya's unspoken command and she pressed the card to the small black, panel that was next to the door.

The door opened with a whirl and the lights in the room lit up. The room was bigger than Clarke had expected and she was surprised to find herself standing in a furnished, adjoined living room and kitchen area. She saw there was another door and Clarke walked up to it and opened it to see a large bed dominating the centre of the room.

There was an en-suite bathroom that had a tub and shower and there was also a closet which upon further inspection was filled with various types of clothes and shoes.

"This is a lot,"said Clarke under her breath to no one in particular and so she was startled a bit as Maya said,"It's no less than you deserve, Clarke. President Wallace seems to hold you in high regard. This used to be his daughter's unit."

Clarke was stunned to hear that and she couldn't help, but ask,"What happened to his daughter?"

Maya looked pensive and said,"I'm sure you know of what the ambient radiation does to us? "

Clarke nodded and Maya continued to speak,"There had been a freak accident and the radiation scrubbers had stopped working on this floor. President Wallace's daughter had just barely survived the exposure, but she refused any treatments and she died. My mother died in the same accident."

"I'm sorry to hear that,"said Clarke and she truly was, after all she knew all too well the pain of losing a parent. She imagined for it to happen so suddenly and unexpectedly must have really hurt Maya. However, there was something that Maya had said that confused her.

"Hang on,"said Clarke as something Maya had said registered within her,"Why did Dante's daughter refuse treatments? Surely that would have saved her life?"

Maya looked extremely uncomfortable once that was brought up and she tried to leave, but as she turned away from Clarke and began to mutter apologies she was surprised to bump into Clarke. This time Clarke had caught her by the arm so she couldn't step away.

"Maya,"said Clarke coolly, "What's going on in this place? You guys basically kidnapped us and took us in. You work in medical. I bet you know that Dante is using my friends against me. You've got to help me. I can tell you're a good person, Maya. Please help me understand what this place is."

The music from the delinquents room was filtering through the room and it had caused Clarke to subconsciously raise her voice. Clarke was incessant in her interrogation of Maya and whether it was her words, tone or body language that convinced Maya Clarke wasn't sure, but she was extremely grateful.

"Okay, I'll tell you,"whispered Maya as she stared at Clarke and just as she opened her mouth to speak, Clarke was surprised to heat the whir of the door slamming and and a shrill alarm began to go off as a robotic voice began to repeat the same thing over and over again.

"Warning, Radiation leak in Sector 5F-A. Initiating lockdown and restrictment protocol."

It was when Maya let out a low murmur that Clarke realised where exactly Sector 5F-A was. Clarke turned to Maya and she was disgusted by what she saw.

Red burns and blisters had begun to spread their way across Maya's body and the girl almost fell to the ground, but Clarke managed to catch her on time.

Clarke ran towards the door with Maya in tow and she carefully tried to open the door with the card that was still in her possession. The card reader beeped before flashing red. Clarke sighed in frustration and she threw the card away and adjusted her grip on Maya before taking a step back to get some momentum.

However, just before she began her run up Maya spoke up and despite the pain she was in she was still coherent, "Don't kick t-the door. Radiation...spread through the Mountain."

Clarke felt trapped as she understood what Maya was telling her. Clarke either had to wait for help to come or she could kick the door down and take Maya to help. It was then that Clarke felt like kicking herself.

She ran back into the bed and she carefully placed Maya atop it. The girl's were lidded and her groans of pain were becoming progressively louder. Clarke placed both her hands onto Maya and said,"Its going to be fine, Maya. I won't let you die."

The girl barely seemed to hear Clarke's words, but she did grab onto Clarke's hand for just a moment before falling slack completely. Clarke felt a rush of adrenaline rush through her and she blotted out everything, but the girl who was dying right in front of her.

Clarke's right hand lit up in green light while her left hand stayed unlit. Clarke activated Insight and she saw that Maya was suffering from acute radiation exposure. Her immune system was shutting down and there wasn't much time.

Clarke placed her right hand onto Maya and the rate of damage to Maya's body began to slow until it reached a crawl, but it still wasn't enough. It was now that Clarke's left hand began to emit a white light.

Clarke had used this ability inadvertently when she had stolen Diana's powers and then erased her ability to ever manifest them again. It was another of the unique set of powers the Novus gave her and for once Clarke wasn't using it to hurt someone.

Clarke placed her left hand on Maya and the results were instant. The burns and blisters across Maya's body began to heal rapidly. It was maybe 20 seconds later when all the radiation burns were gone and Maya's skin had returned to it's normal tone as well a little more healthy than before.

The girl in question woke up suddenly as if she was waking from a nightmare and she began to scream and try to scramble to her feet ignoring Clarke's gentle words, but it was only when Clarke grabbed onto her shoulders firmly that she calmed down.

"Clarke?"said Maya as her eyes finally focused on the girl next to her "What's going on?"

Clarke was about to respond, but the incessant blaring of the alarm seemed to have only just registered within Maya as she turned towards the detectors on the ceiling before speaking panickedly as she tried to rise to her feet,"Clarke, the radiation it's–"

"Not a problem,"said Clarke before she pushed Maya back down with a little bit more force then was necessary.

It was then that Maya realised despite the room being filled with radiation, she was not in any sort of pain whatsoever. Her skin was devoid of the red burns that had littered her body only moments before and in fact it seemed to have a healthy glow instead of the usual pallid appearance she associated with all of Mountain's people.

"I healed you. Radiation won't ever be a problem for you ever again,"said Clarke and the look of happiness that came over Maya's face was enough to make her smile a little. The other girl hugged her tightly and began to mutter words of appreciation over and over.

The hug went on for longer than Clarke had anticipated and the alarm had was still going strong after 5 minutes of noise. Maya finally separated from Clarke and said,"You can cure us? Clarke, you've got to help us. This is amazing. The people here would kill for you to–"

"I can't do that, Maya,"said Clarke firmly and she ignored the shocked look of the other girl as she said,"Your people are holding mine hostage. I refuse to help them until my people's safety are guaranteed. You were just a once off. I wouldn't have let you die in front of me not while I could do something about it. Your people have managed so far and they'll be fine once I get out of here to look for survivors from the Ark."

Maya looked crestfallen at her harsh words and said,"Clarke, you don't understand. This life is hell. The things we've done to survive...There are those of who don't care about any of that, but there are those of us who feel as though this place has drained us our last shreds of humanity."

"What are you talking about?"said Clarke before remembering what they had been speaking about before the radiation leak,"Does it have something to do with the radiation?"

Maya yawned before she nodded solemnly and said,"I can't speak much here. I wasn't supposed to tell you this, but all the rooms are bugged. President Wallace and Cage can hear everything you and your friends are talking about. That's what these rooms were designed for."

Clarke was shocked at that revelation and said,"I need to get out of here. This place is just one big, fat lie. Is there anyway I can get out of here?"

Maya shook her head and said,"The command centre is under severe lockdown 24/7 and even if you tried to bust your way out there would be hundreds of people that would die from the radiation leak and you wouldn't be there to help them."

Clarke growled slowly feeling frustrated at the lack of good news. The alarm was still going string and despite it concealing their conversation it had begun to wear on her and she was about to punch the wall in sheer anger before Maya spoke up saying,"There is one way that I could help you."

Clarke looked at Maya questioning, but the alarm had shut off suddenly and there were sounds that echoed out from the corridor. Maya looked at the door in panic before leaning into Clarke's ear and whispering,"Come to medical at midnight. I'm on night duty so I'll be there all night. There's something you need to see."

Clarke was not given a chance to reply, however, as a bunch of men in hazmat suits burst through the door and they began to spread out through the unit before finally one of them spotted Maya and Clarke on the bed. He was holding a device in his hand that bleeped loudly and he said,"Ladies, I'll need you to get to the dining hall. This is standard procedure for when–Maya! Is that you?"

Maya nodded and said,"Yes, Officer Lovejoy. It's me."

Lovejoy seemed surprised and the other guards began to file in once they heard the commotion, "How is that possible? The radiation is through the roof in here. There was a delay within the alarm system and we only knew there was a leak in here about a minute ago. With this much radiation in the air you should have died? How are you alive?"

Maya had begun to squirm under the scrutiny of the guards so Clarke decided to speak up and she said,"I healed her. Also, the radiation leak happened ten minutes ago, not one."

One of the guards didn't seem to believe her and said,"There isn't any possible way you could have given her a treatment so soon and it would have worn off by now in any case."

The man who had said that was hit by one of the other guards and Clarke noticed there was a distinct change in the atmosphere of the room. The air was filled with tension and Clarke felt that there was a missing piece to the puzzle.

Clarke ignored the tension and her voice cut through the silence of the room,"My mistake, I didn't just heal her. I fixed her for lack of a better word. Maya isn't affected by the radiation because she can't be affected by it."

It seemed to take a few seconds for the penny to drop and Lovejoy spoke up again with awe practically dripping from his voice,"You got rid of our radiation weakness?"

Clarke nodded firmly and she was suddenly swarmed by the men and women as more and more requests wishing for the same thing gor them or their spouse or children began to rise up. Some were polite, others were decidedly less so as they grabbed onto Clarke's arms roughly to grab her attention tion, but they were all equally desperate and soon the various pleas turned into sheer, white noise until a gunshot pierced through the clamour.

"Enough,"said a voice with authority and the noise died down dramatically and Clarke turned to the doorway to see another man in a hazmat suit,"Please Ms Griffin and Ms Vie alone. They just went through a traumatic ordeal and the last thing they need is more stress. Back to your stations."

The other men and women seemed to cow under the reprimand from the man at the door and it was only once they all left that Clarke was able to read his name tag.

Emerson.

The man in question put his hand to his ear and Clarke saw the radio attached to it before he began to speak to it. He looked at the two of them before his eyes focused on Maya in particular. Finally, he finished up and said,"Maya, Lorelei wants to give you a check up and run a few tests and just make sure that everything is in order before she allows you to do your shifts tonight."

Maya nodded in thanks and she turned to Clarke and gave another hug before leaving the room and she walked around Emerson and closed the door behind and before long it was only Emerson and Clarke left in the room. The radiometer had been left in the room and the beeps began to become less and less frequent before dying down completely signifying that the radiation scrubbers were back online.

There were no words spoken before Emerson removed his mask and placed it on the table before he said,"I guess congratulations are in order for saving Maya. It must have been one scary ordeal or you."

Clarke raised a brow and she felt her muscles tense as she said,"What do you mean?"

Emerson smiled, but it was a warped thing that twisted the man's features as he said,"I've heard that in the old days, doctors were never allowed to operate on their friends and family because there was always the chance of them getting distracted or losing focus. It's amazing that you managed to save Maya, but I'm sure it would have been a different story entirely if it had been your friends from the Ark in danger."

Clarke felt anger rush through her and she felt a distinct sensation rise up within her. She threw her hand forwards and there was a flash of white that streaked across the room with deadly accuracy and despite her anger Clarke was surprised to see that she had thrown a dagger of ice with amazing accuracy at Emerson.

She hadn't intended to kill him only scare him and it seemed as though her aim had struck true as there was a line of blood that streaked across Emerson's cheek. The ice dagger burst apart into white dust and Clarke turned her eyes back onto Emerson and said,"If I find out that you were or Dante or Cage or Tsing were in any way responsible for this then the next time we meet that knife will go between your eyes."

Emerson looked far less sure of himself tha he had only moments before and he simply scoffed at Clarke before taking his mask and the radiometer with him as he left. Emerson hadn't bothered to shut the door which was why Raven was able to walk inside.

Clarke didn't quite feel like talking to any of the delinquents least of all Raven and Octavia. She thought they had her back, but once they had seen her outside the dropship they hadn't looked at her like she was Clarke, no, they looked at her as if she was some sort of monster and that had hurt more than anything.

On the Ark, she hadn't had any friends beside Wells really and she was glad that she had found people that were willing to accept her for who she was, but in the end they had just watched as she very nearly collapsed in front of them from sheer self-disgust and hatred.

She had killed over a 100 people within a matter of minutes. She had expected some form of support from Raven and Octavia, but they had stared at her as if she were a monster. Anya, of all people, had been the one to comfort her and she had approached Clarke even when her flame cloak was active.

Now, Anya was in all likelihood dead because Clarke had unknowingly lured the Commander's mentor into a trap that the Mountain Men had sprung on them. Clarke knew she would have her work cut for her trying to get peace with the Grounders if Anya actually was dead.

Clarke dispelled those thoughts and instead looked at Raven who still hadn't said anything and seemed quite nervous which was extremely uncharacteristic of her.

Finally, the Zero-G mechanic found her nerve and said,"I've heard about what you did. Rumours have already begun to spread through this place about how you cured them of their weakness to radiation. You're pretty much seen as a hero by them."

Clarke didn't feel as pleased by those words as she should have and she replied harshly to Raven,"Well, it's nice to know people are still grateful when people do stuff for them."

There was a slight flinch from Raven at the veiled insult, but she continued undeterred saying,"Look Clarke, I know the delinquents aren't your favourite people in the world right now, but we need you. The fight with the reapers had sent a lot of us the wrong way especially now that we're safe inside here. There's been a lot of booze flowing around and sex and whatever else people can do to distract themselves from that horrible fight."

Clarke seemed unaffected by this news as she said,"They need me? What would you guys want with a monster like me? I sacrificed so much for all of you. I've killed over and over to keep you guys safe and then when the reapers attacked I killed some more and what thanks do I get? I thought we were friends, Raven, but somehow as soon as I wake up it's my fault that Bellamy and everyone is dead because I sent them away. All of you seemed to forget that we weren't invited here. We got abducted. These guys must have surely known that we were here, but they only came after so many weeks? I'm sorry, but I'm done."

The words spilled from Clarke's mouth like poison, but she knew she had to distance herself from the delinquents if only to keep them safe. She couldn't risk the Mountain Men getting suspicious of any of them especially if she wasn't here to defend them. She needed to escape and get help from the Grounders.

Even if the Mountain Men could somehow shut down all their powers, Clarke still had her own powers and she'd be able to break into the Mountain and from there it would be only a matter of minutes before the Mountain fell.

"What do you mean you're done?"said Raven as she looked at Clarke,"I know you're hurt,Clarke, but they really need your help especially Octavia. With Bellamy gone–"

Raven was cut off by the sound of wood splintering and she was surprised to see that Clarke had split the wooden table in half with her fist alone. Her eyes were glowing a darker blue than Raven remembered and they were far more unsettling than the ice blue they usually were.

"If you knew I was hurt,"said Clarke agitatedly and this time her words held more truth than she was comfortable with admitting,"Why didn't any of you come to help me after the battle with the reapers? I can understand most of them not saying anything, but you Raven? I thought we were closer than that. Were you disgusted? Horrified? Scared? All of the above? I thought after everything that happened with Roma and Finn we were actually close , but now I know that's a lie. Don't even mention Octavia. She made it pretty clear that she wants nothing to do with me. If she wants to get drunk and fuck everything that moves that's her business. "

Tears had begun to drip from Clarke's eyes and Raven tried to move closer, but Clarke held up her hand as she fell back onto the couch and said,"Don't. Just don't. I need some space. Since this place is so great and awesome, I'm sure you guys won't miss me much anyways. I'm only there for when things gets tough, right?"

Raven shook her head angrily and said,"How the fuck can you say that, Griffin? The delinquents care about you. Octavia cares about you. I care for you too, Clarke. You helped me when I was at my lowest. If it wasn't for you, I could have gone the wrong way after what Finn did, but you were there for me. I know you're in pain Clarke. You blame yourself for everything bad that has happened, but none of this has been your fault."

The tears dripped freely from Clarke's eyes and her vision blurred as she just the tears fall. It was more cathartic than anything she had ever done and it truly felt as though the pain that was in her heart was slowly draining away.

A few minutes later, Clarke realised that Raven had pulled her into a hug and she had been clutching onto the other girl tightly. Unlike the last time they had been like this though, Clarke didn't pretend to be okay she just let it all out and she eventually passed out.

It was maybe a half hour later when Clarke finally woke up and she felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Her tears had long since dried up and she had just enjoyed the proximity of one of her best friends being there when she needed her most.

Raven ,who had also fallen asleep, seemed to notice Clarke waking up and she yawned before saying,"I hope you're feeling a lot better. It's almost time for dinner. I'll go bring us something to eat and then we can go to sleep."

"We? You're not sleeping in here, are you?"

Clarke smiled slightly and Raven smiled back as she said,"Yes, I am and for three reasons. First, those bunk beds suck and those guys have probably already stunk the place up with booze, vomit and who knows what else. Second, that bed just seems way too comfortable. "

"What's the third reason?"said Clarke as she felt amusement rise up in her for the first time since she had been in the Mountain.

"Third,"said Raven as she looked at Clarke and all traces of humour were gone,"Third, you're my friend, Clarke. You were right, I was being selfish earlier. You need someone to lean on too and it's not fair of us to expect you to always be strong. I'll be here if you need a shoulder to cry on or someone to speak to. I don't want anymore beef between us, we're way too awesome and mature for that."

Clarke smiled at Raven's attempt to add some levity to what she was saying and she looked at the other girl and with as much sincerity as she could manage said,"Tha m you, Raven. It means a lot."

The genius mechanic smiled back before leaving the room. Clarke was sad to see her go and she felt guilt well up inside her as she began to plan her escape even as she waited for Raven to return with food. Her technopathy had confirmed that there were listening devices in the wall, but she had managed to make them shut down before her talk with Raven had gotten too personal for other people's ears.

Clarke had tried to access the Mountain's control centre through her technopathy, but it had been a tall order. There were masses of firewalls that prevented her from gaining complete control of the Mountain, but she was able to manipulate smaller things like lights, speakers and yes microphones. She hadn't tried any of the doors that led outside, but she had a feeling that required her to be in full control of the Mountain for that to work.

Something she could probably only achieve from the inside of the control centre.

Clarke knew that ger technopath abilities were enough to conceal her movements from the camera when she was going to Maya, but she needed something else for when she was walking through the halls. The last thing she needed was for any of the Mountain Men to spot her just before her escape, it probably wouldn't end well.

There was a thud on the door and Clarke used her technopathy to open the door and Raven walked in with many plates of food balanced on a tray and despite it probably being too much Clarke didn't quite mind as she stood up to help Raven with the plates.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Perhaps marching into the territory of the Grounders had not been the best of decisions in all honesty. They had reached a nearby village and had been welcomed by over 300 warriors.

Tristan had led them to his rangers and they had thrown him into some cell, but what he hadn't expected was to be in here with Thelonious of all people. The last time he had seen or even heard Jaha's voice was when he had hit the switch that had allowed the remaining Arkers to descend back to Earth.

He never expected to see the man alive ever again much less in these circumstances. Kane once again took a look at the knife that was in between the two of them.

It had been over 6 hours since they had been in there and been told that the only way peace could be had was if one of them killed the other in order to pay for the death of Anya who had been missing for just as long as the delinquents had been. Some girl ,barely older than the delinquents had been left inside with them, and Kane realised she was probably there to make sure one of them went through with.

Their chains were tight around their wrists and they had gotten progressively heavier and tighter as their limbs had begun to swell from having them on. Marcus knew that the Grounders were serious with their demands and he knew that eventually one of them would have to die soon.It was as the girl had said.

Blood must have blood.

Kane finally stood up and grabbed the knife. The room had descended into an uneasy silence and the two other occupants of the room were surprised by the sudden motion made by Kane.

Jaha looked surprised and he rose to his feet the chains rattling as he said,"Marcus, what are you doing?"

"What's right for our people,"said Kane as he looked at Thelonious, "What is one life compared to the hundreds of those that survived the landing? We're being selfish and you know it. I've seen you look at the knife too. You know that this can only end one way."

"Marcus, you're not thinking clearly. Do you really think these savages will honour their word? They have already killed some of the delinquents! Children! Then they have the nerve to say we owe them for the death of one general when they already killed our kids? I refuse to bow to their whims and you should too."

Jaha's speech was filled with vitriol and frustration as the impossibility of the situation weighed down on him. He had escaped death multiple times in the past weeks on the Ark, on his way down to Earth and in the Dead Zone as well.

His story would not end here.

"It's good that you don't have a choice in the matter,"said Kane with conviction before he took the knife and cut a large line vertically down his arm. The pain was immense and Kane even felt the knife drag across the bones in forearm, but he pushed through.

Immediately, Jaha ran to his side and said,"Come on, Marcus. You've got to push through it."

Marcus shook his head and said,"My time is over. You already made your sacrifice allow me to make mine."

The world around Kane began to fade to black and despite the attempts of Jaha to stem the wound as well as the other man's frantic attempts to enlist the help of the woman in the cell it was all for naught.

Blood has had blood.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kane woke up with a start. He looked around and he was surprised to find himself in a room that smelled of herbs. He looked around desperately in confusion before a vaguely familiar voice reached his ears.

"I see you are awake,"said the girl from the cell as she peered down at Kane. She appeared a lot different however. Gone were the rags that she had worn while they had been in the cell.

In their place was armour made of leather that metal plates in key places. There was a large pauldron upon her shoulder, but what drew his attention the most were the many weapons that were on prominent display on her person.

Her eyes were cold and detached and surrounded by a sea of black paint that wrapped around her eyes and rose to the crown of her head. The most interesting part of her warpaint, though, was the six stripes(three on each side) that ran down her cheeks. They almost looked like the claw marks of some savage beast. There was also a golden pendant that shone from its place on her forehead.

It was her change in demeanour from before that made him realise she was not simply a servant girl. The confidence and power radiating off of her could not be radiated from anyone else other than a leader.

A Commander, in fact.

"You must be the Commander, "said Kane as he straightened up and tried to school his features, "I am Marcus Kane. I'm the leader of–"

"The Sky People, "said the Commander as she looked at Kane,"Your people have drawn attention since they first landed in my territory. We have not reached an alliance or ceasefire so tell me Marcus of the Sky People. Why are you here?"

Kane almost winced at the harsh tone of the Commander, but he ignored the feeling of trepidation as he said,"I would to know what happened with the first of our people that we had sent down. Their camp was completely empty and burnt to ashes. I'm here to negotiate for their release and also for an alliance."

"We do not have your children, Marcus. "said the Commander before she added,"Tristan had gone to their camp and reported that there was no one there and it was burnt to ashes and there many skeletons surrounding the metal building. So while a battle did occur, I can assure you it was not my warriors who fought and took your children."

That was not all bad news decided Kane. The vast majority of the people that lived in these lands were under the rule of the Commander. If there hadn't been any attack from them then they were probably safe for the time being and hopefully the teams looking for the Ark survivors would be alright.

There was still the case of the missing children, however.

"Commander, as far as I know all of the clans are under your rule?,"said Marcus as he looked at the woman and when he received a curt nod he said,"Who are the cannibals aligned with? One of the few that escaped the camp during the attack said that they had attacked us, but Anya had helped fight back against them. Is it possible that they are still alive?"

The Commander appeared to be unperturbed by the news, but her posture was still rigid,"The cannibals you speak of, my people call them Ripas. They are not aligned with any of the clans, but they were ."

Kane's brow furrowed in confusion as he said,"Are they like those traitors to the clan who stay near the Mountain? "

Lexa's eyes hardened as she said,"No, the Splita are weak. Cowards and not worthy of being apart of any clan. The Ripas are different. The Maunon will attack a village and take my people. They come with their guns and their red smoke and terrorise the people of all clans. Some never return, but some return as Ripas. Their minds are broken and they can no longer use their powers. It's impossible to change back once one becomes a Ripa. Many have tried and failed to restore them to their former selves. If your children have been taken by the Maunon then it is best to hope that they are dead."

Kane was horrified to hear that there not one, not two, but three groups of people that were opposed to the Coalition. What confused him however was the third group the Commander had mentioned.

It went without saying that the two most dangerous of these groups were clearly working together or at least one of these groups was made by the other. What was more concerning to Kane, though, was the news that a technologically advanced society still existed.

"Who are the Maunon?"said Kane and the way in which the world rolled off his tongue showed his unfamiliarity with the language of the Grounders.

"Maunon is Trigedasleng for Mountain Men, "said the Commander as she looked at Kane unflinchingly her eyes focused squarely on him,"They hide themselves in the Mountain and only come out in strange armour. They have guns, smoke that makes you sleep and they create fog which burns you to the point where no healer can save you."

Clearly, the Ark had been misinformed about who was left on Earth and if a society like this could go undetected then it was possible that there were other civilisations that were thriving all over the globe. However, some of what the Commander said made no sense.

"Acid fog?"said Kane confused,"The children were under the impression that the acid fog was a result of radiation that caused mutations in the weather. It's actually a weapon?"

Lexa nodded and said,"Yes, it's why those we exile are sent into the Mountain's area. The Dead Zone is survivable, but the Mountain Men always know who's in their lands and if the acid fog or the reapers do not claim your life then the Mountain Men themselves will come. We believe they aren't many in number, but they affect the lives of all my people."

"I don't understand one thing, Commander,"said Kane as he looked at her ,"If you have such great numbers and I'm assuming your warriors have powers as well why haven't you attacked the Mountain? Surely the acid fog could have been circumvented in many ways."

The Commander's fingers on her right hand just barely twitched and she said," Long ago, there had been no acid fog, but once the Mountain Men crawled out of their cave and tried to take what was theirs – a war soon erupted between them and my people. The acid fog had been deployed when the army of Commander at that time reached the gates of the Mountain. Somehow, the Mountain Men had devised a way to block our powers from working once we got too close to them and the acid fog had spread too quickly for them to escape. Hundreds of warriors were killed in seconds. Only our Commander survived, but he was executed by his 12 generals not long after for failing us. It was then that our people split into 12 clans that we currently are. Various clans have tried and all have failed to take down the Mountain. "

"Why would your people split like that? Surely they must have realised being together was their best chance to win ?"said Marcus and he was surprised when a small, wry smile came over the Commander's face.

"People are hardly ever rational. There were far too many differences between our people and the Coalition had already been at it's breaking point before the Mountain. The death of our first Commander was what had begun to drive the wedge between our people, but it was only after the first battle at the Mountain that Wonkru was no more."

It was jarring for Kane to realise the similarities and differences between the Grounders and the Arkers. They had both overthrown their leaders that had failed in them some way and yet they were also different. Their first Chancellor had divided their people and her death unified the Ark while the first Commander had unified her people and her death had divided them. It was almost poetic.

Marcus' arm suddenly pulsed with pain and he remembered that he had tried to kill himself. There was no ambient light from outside so he judged it to be quite close to midnight or thereabouts. The lamps in the room made it easy to see the angry red line that traversed his forearm and it was undoubtedly clear that it would scar.

"You should rest, Marcus kom Skaikru, "said the Commander as she prepared to leave the tent,"We've already sent the one you call Thelonious back to your camp and after my healers take care of you again we will convene to a village that is nearby to your camp for peace talks. What you did was honourable, Marcus. There are not many leaders who are willing to sacrifice themselves for the good of their people. "

Kane was glad to hear that the Commander was willing to speak to them. They only had a limited amount of weapons and a limited amount of knowledge on Earth. They really needed the help in the long run. Perhaps they could also find a way to rescue the kids from the Mountain.

If they weren't already dead or turned into reapers.

The Commander was just about to leave the room and Kane managed to muster up the energy to ask her one last question,"Commander, excuse my manners, but it seems as though I've forgotten to ask you for your name."

The Commander turned back to look at Kane and she said ,"Lexa. Lexa kom Trikru."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Clarke looked at the time on the clock and she saw that it was almost time for her to go. Raven staying in her room to sleep had been an unexpected surprise, but it had been welcome and Clarke was glad to have smoothed over the bumps in their relationship.

She couldn't, however, tell Raven about her plans. The other delinquents felt safe within the Mountain and would certainly disagree with Clarke if she were to propose her plan to them. It was why she had to wait until the sounds from the delinquents' room faded away into nothingness.

Raven had practically passed out soon after they had eaten and Clarke had placed the other girl in the bed. Clarke knew that she only had shot at breaking out of the bunker and brute force wasn't going to be enough. After all, the Mountain had survived the nuclear war.

Clarke slowly climed out of the bed and to her relief Raven was still passed out cold. Clarke opened the cupboard and she scanned over what clothes would probably be best for her to wear. It was an odd assortment of clothes that seemed to range from normal, everyday shirts to military-grade camouflage pants.

She picked out a pair of combat boots, flexible denim jeans and a blue denim jacket. The clothes were just the right size and didn't restrict her motion in anyway.

Clarke walked into the living room and she sat down on one of the couches with her legs crossed. She needed to be invisible to all and the first step in doing that had to do with disrupting the eyes of the Mountain Men.

Clarke's eyes closed and suddenly a rush of information flowed through her head as she used her technopathy to map out the cameras and other devices that were in her general vicinity.

This ability was bit strange in it's implementation. The dropship was easily controllable due to there being virtually no firewalls in place. However, this Mountain obviously had better protection than that.

It didn't mean that Clarke couldn't gain control. She could. It would just take longer than usual. Around 30 minutes or so–she estimated –and that was if she was in the control centre. She was able to detect exactly where it was through her connection with the Mountain judging by the amount of commands that flew out from the place like a ripple in water.

She was essentially just plugged into the system right now and she hadn't tried to take control of anything, thus far. She focused on using the cameras all over the Mountain to track patrols and she wasn't in the least bit surprised to find numerous guard patrolling.

It made the next phase of her plan more necessary. Clarke was about to disconnect from the system when she found another section of the Mountain that had almost gone unnoticed.

Words began to rush through her mind and unknown to her she began to speak aloud as they flashed through her mind,"Pipes. Ventilators. Substituents. 4 parts carbon, 10 parts hydrogen, 1 part fluorine, 2 parts oxygen and 1 part phosphorus."

"Clarke,"said a voice and Clarke closed her connection the mountain and she was surprised to see Raven looking at her,"What are you doing?"

Clarke reconnected upon seeing her friend and quickly silenced the listening devices , permanently this time, and said,I need to get out of here, Raven. There isn't enough time to go, but I have to go now. This place it's...bad... I can't say much else, but–"

"I believe you,"said Raven cutting Clarke off and the mechanic smiled wryly at the look of surprise on the other girl's face,"Clarke, I trust you way more than I trust these people. If you say that there's something wrong then I believe you. What's your plan?"

Clarke sagged in relief and said,"That means a lot, thanks Raven. I'm trying to figure out a way to get past the guard patrols and I connected to their mainframe and while there were other stuff that would take too long to break through something jumped out at me just now."

"Is that why you were reciting the periodic table?"said Raven before she added,"I only caught the part about oxygen and phosphorus. I'll need you to reconnect to that part of the Mountain's mainframe and tell me what you see."

Clarke nodded and this time what she had been looking at stuck out like a flame in a dark room," 4 parts carbon, 10 parts hydrogen, 1 part fluorine, 2 parts oxygen and 1 part phosphorus...wait there's more...I think they're two different substances...4 parts carbon, 8 parts hydrogen, 2 parts chlorine and 1 part sulfur. What the hell is this stuff?"

Clarke opened her eyes, but what she didn't expect to see was a look of disgust on Raven's face,"Raven. Talk to me."

Raven sighed and said,"You were right,Clarke. This place is sketchy. The two formulas you just told me. One is sarin. A red nerve gas that causes vomiting, convulsions and highly irregular heart rate, but it's not that lethal. The other is sulfur mustard, this one is yellow and causes rapid blistering on skin and mucous membranes. Extremely lethal. They're both chemical weapons,but the thing is sulfur mustard doesn't really linger long in the air, but it does if mixed with sarin. The result would be an orange gaseous chemical weapon with the benefits of both and downsides of neither. Three guesses for where we've seen orange gas that blisters and kills it's victims. "

Clarke felt her anger raise as she said,"The acid fog. They make the acid fog. What the hell is this place?"

Raven shrugged and said,"I don't know, but we all have to leave ASAP. This just shows that–"

"We can't do that, Raven,"said Clarke seriously as she cut the other girl off,"All the delinquents got wasted on liquor and are probably still processing that and there's no ways those without powers could even hope to outrun the fog or the people they would send after us. You guys will have to stay here to stay safe."

Raven's face twisted in anger and said,"And were will you go? To take down the Mountain? Clarke, I hate to break it to you, but there isn't much space for you to cut loose. If you go supernova like you did at the dropship then it might cause the scrubbers to blow up and who knows how many people will die."

Clarke knew that much at least. Even on the Ark, the carbon dioxide scrubbers were never meant to come into contact with fire. Besides the obvious part of fire eating up oxygen, if the scrubbers came into contact with fire then it was likely that the Ark would not survive the chain of explosions that would follow.

"I know that, Raven,"said Clarke as she began to tie the laces on her boots,"I'm going for a more stealthy approach and I'll just have to borrow something to make that happen."

Raven looked slightly confused, but before she could voice her concern Clarke said,"I'll need you to stay inside here. These guys have a way of shutting down your powers and if they catch wind of this and activate whatever the hell that thing is then we're all screwed."

"Can't you disable whatever that is with your technopathy?"said Taven and she was disappointed when Clarke shook her head in the negative.

"I can only temporarily take control of things,"said Clarke as she began to tighten her other boot's laces,"Also, there's a lot of encrypted stuff like the scrubbers, ventilation system, doors, their defense system and files. I can't get into any of those. The acid fog had weak security, but I guess that since they're sheltered from it inside here they don't really care."

"Ok, I get that, but why would you leave?"said Raven as she looked at her friend,"If you leave we have no way of defending ourselves. "

"You guys will be fine,"said Clarke as she finally finished lacing up ,"I'm going to bust out of here and I hope that the Commander cares enough about Anya to help us. Numbers will be what we need to take these guys out. Also, Dante said that the neutralisation device or whatever took a lot of resources so I'm guessing if they were to use it then I would have detected a massive drain on the grid. He said something about improving it, but it seemed like posturing to me."

Raven looked down at her hands and she was happy to see the familiar green glow of her lasers. She shut them off and said,"You're right. We should be able to hold them off for a little bit."

Clarke nodded and said,"You're right, that's not good enough. Come on, let's go."

Raven was confused by Clarke's statement as the other girl suddenly walked to the door and seemingly not scared of the cameras walked straight into the delinquents dorm.

Luckily, there were all deep in the throes of sleep and none of them woke up at all. The smell of alcohol was hanging in the air and Raven had to concede that Clarke had been right about their chances with everyone in such a state.

"What are we doing here?"whispered Raven as she stepped closer to Clarke.

Clarke looked at her and said,"You guys need to be able to better defend yourselves. I think I've figured out how to activate your powers."

Raven was surprised by this, but she followed Clarke as she began to walk around the dorm,"I can't do anything for the ones that the nanobots didn't merge with, but the others should be fine."

Raven nodded and grabbed her arm saying,"I know where everyone sleeps. Come on."

It was a strange process from Raven's perspective to see Clarke's hands light up in a soft, white glow and all she did was tapped the foreheads of everyone.

Soon, the last remaining was Octavia, but this time after Clarke activated her latent powers she pressed both her hands to the other girl's head. Raven was concerned when an expression of slight pain came across Octavia's face, but it disappeared a few seconds later as Clarke pulled her hands off of the girl.

"Let's go,"said Clarke as she gestured towards the door. The two girls made it out of the dorm and back into Clarke's without trouble and ince the door closed behind Raven whirled to Clarke and said,"What the hell did you do to Octavia? You looked like you were hurting her!"

Clarke nodded and said,"Well, I haven't had much practice with some of my powers, but I didn't mean to hurt her. I just needed something from her."

Raven was about to ask a question, but it died on her lips as Clarke immediately faded from view. Raven was shocked by this and she whirled around the room trying to track Clarke.

It took Raven a massive amount of effort to not scream in surprises Clarke laid a glowing hand on her shoulder from behind. The girl had reappeared behind her and she had a serious expression on her face as she said,"Raven, you're the smartest one of all the delinquents and with me gone you'll be the strongest. I'll need you to do whatever it takes to keep them safe. I'll activate the last two of your powers, but you need to swear that you won't hold back if the Mountain Men come after you guys. They won't hurt you because they need me and Dante knows what I'd do if you guys got hurt, but... just in case... you have to _promise_."

The glow faded from Clarke's fingers and Raven turned around before pulling the younger girl into a hug,"I promise, Griffin. Go kick some ass."

"You should also keep yourself safe too,"added Clarke softly as she held onto the othee girl,"I can't lose you too."

Raven felt touched by the sheer concern in Clarke's voice a she said softly, "I will. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

Clarke tightened her grip on Raven and said,"We need to get as much suspicion away from you as possible. You're gonna have to act like I attacked you. Make sure you tell no one about everything until you're sure it's necessary."

Raven nodded and said,"Okay, fine. Let's get this over with and you'll owe me _big_ when this is all done."

Clarke lifted her left hand and it began to crackle with electricity,"Yeah, I'll think of something. "

Raven clenched her fists and waited for the inevitable. It happened quickly. It felt like the nerves on her body were on fire and her muscles locked up violent as the pulses of electricity flew through her. It lasted only a couple of seconds before she felt her grip on consciousness slip.

Clarke caught Raven before she fell to the ground and then she placed her on the ground gently. Clarke activated her invisibility and exited the door making her way to her first destination.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Whitman sighed as he made his way to the room where the machines that created The Veil was located. There had been a report that somehow someone had gotten in, but the card used did not even have an ID or anything. The cameras didn't even show anything and so he was the only one sent as it was believed to simply be a glitch in the system.

He tagged in and began to look through the large room for signs if anything amiss.

"Control centre, this is is Whitman,"said the guard as he spoke into his radio,"Nothing in the entry chamber proceeding to Mixing and Deployment Chamber, over."

"Roger that, Whitman. Proceed with caution, over and out."

The Mixing and Deployment Chamber as it named suggested was where the two gases that made up The Veil were mixed together and then deployed. He was one of the few guards that had permission to enter in here thanks to his seniority. The only others allowed in here were the mechanics and engineers for upkeep and check ups.

He keyed himself in and let the door close itself behind him. He walked around the pipes before he heard a noise on the catwalk above the platform. He decided no to use his radio and instead grabbed his gun off his shoulder.

The substances were flammable and he knew that there would be a massive explosion if he missed his shot when near some of the massive pipes that circled the room. He slowly ascended the stairs to the catwalk, but he was confused when there was no one there.

He looked over the catwalk and he saw nothing amiss. It was only once he heard footsteps behind him that he turned and fired. The bullet smashed into the walkway and Whitman panicked as he felt a strong hand grip him around his neck. His gun clattered to the floor and was then pushed over the edge by something unseen.

"How do I shut this thing down for good?"said a voice and he was surprised to see a blonde girl appear from thin air. Her face look deadly serious and her eyes were glowing an icy blue.

Whitman grabbed at her arm and tried to wrench free, but incredibly he wasn't even able to move it at all. The girl tightened her grip and said,"I'm not gonna ask again. Talk or you float."

Whitman felt dizzy from the restriction of his air paths and he dropped his hands to his side. He smiled arrogantly at the girl he now recognised and said,"C-clarke Griffin...Your p-people...will..die for this."

Whitman pressed a button on his radio and suddenly flares and alarms began to go off in the room and across the mountain. Clarke eyes narrowed into thin slits and the light emitting from them turned a dark blue,"We'll see."

Already, Clarke could hear footsteps outside the Mixing Chamber and she knew her time was limited. Clarke cursed under her breath and Whitman seemed smug until Clarke lifted him up and dangled him over the edge,"I guess you float."

Whitman had barely had enough time to process Clarke's last words before he was falling from the 50 meter high catwalk. He landed on the ground with a loud thud and Clarke turned invisible just as the door to the room slammed open. 7 Guards poured in and began to spread out throughout the Chamber.

Clarke shadowed them and she knew that she had to get rid of them before the place got swarmed. She needed the Mountain Men to be disorganised and the first step of that was to cut off the head of the snake.

The radios they used were all connected to each other and to the control centre and Clarke was able to listen in on the conversation as she stood unseen by all on the catwalk.

"Whitman triggered the SOS response, but I can't find him. Pan out and search for him."

The team of seven split up and Clarke began to silently descend the stairs as she knew one of them was on a direct route to Whitman's body.

The woman reached Whitman's body and she recoiled as she saw the blood pooled around his body and said into her radio,"Sandra, here Whitman is dead. I repeat Whitman is dead over here by the mixing vats. Falling damage resulted in severe damage to the head. Unclear if murder or suicide. No sign of any other people. Copy that?"

Sandra waited for a response, but she was surprised to find out that none of her fellow guards responded, "Julian, do you read me?"

Suddenly, a rush of pain flashed over her neck and Sandra was surprised to see blood flow onto her hands as she grabbed at her neck. In a matter of seconds, she was dead and her body hit the ground hard.

The sound drew the attention of all the other guards and Clarke could easily hear the sounds of boots on the ground as they rushed to the scene.

Clarke knew that she had to hurry up and knew the Mountain was probably going to be put into some sort of lockdown. She quickly grabbed the radio of the other woman before she put some distance between her and the two bodies and the hum of machinery became louder as she was now walking through a veritable maze of pipes.

She wasn't sure how to get out of this situation quickly while still managing to shut down the acid fog until she saw something plastered across one of the pipes that made her skin crawl at the implications.

"Warning,"said Clarke,"Chemicals are highly flammable. "

Clarke tightened her grip on the knife made out of ice that she had used to kill the female guard before it suddenly lit up in yellow light. The glow died down and there was now a knife made of the sturdiest metal Clarke knew of.

That was of course the metal used on the dropship and all of the Ark.

She stabbed into the pipe and cut a long slice through the pipe. She didn't stop there as she used her superspeed to allow her to run through the various corridors of pipes and cut them at a high speed.

By now, she had drawn the attention if the other guards, but it was already too late as the damage was done. Clarke ripped off a large swath of her shirt and she lit the end of it on fire before she threw it in the air behind her.

The guards had found her, but they didn't appear to even be moving as Clarke ran as fast as she could towards the door. She punched the door right off it's hinges and kept running straight past it as she moved towards the door that led back into the Mountain.

By some stroke of luck, it was still open and Clarke managed to shut it behind her. There was an extremely loud sound and Clarke felt Instinct activated and raise a dome of psionic energy around her.

A veritable firestorm poured from behind the door and even though it only lasted a few seconds Clarke's energy was almost sapped entirely from the strain of standing against the heat.

Luckily, this floor had no apartments or living units on it whatsoever so there was no damage other than burns to the walls, floor and ceiling. The water sprinklers activated soon after the flash of fire had entered into the corridor and the spray of water bounced off of Clarke's energy dome with slight thuds..

She knew that the Mountain Men probably knew it was her behind and everything and so she had to hurry. She quickly connected to the mainframe and focused on the cameras near her current position and she relieved to note that the fireball had knocked out all the cameras in the corridor she was in.

Clarke knew it was time to cause the chaos to ramp up a notch and she sat down as she focused on the task at hand.

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"Son,"said Dante with a furious look on his face as he entered the control centre of Mount Weather,"What is going on? What was that explosion I felt?"

"We're not sure, Dad,"said Cage from behind a computer and judging from the young man's disheveled appearance he was feeling the stress of the situation. The man kept typing away at the keyboard before he stopped and punched the table,"It's The Veil."

Dante looked confused and said,"What about it?"

"That explosion you felt?"said Cage and frustration and anger was clear in his voice,"That was The Veil. All the systems are offline and the team we sent into there have not responded."

Dante felt a flash of panic rise up inside him and he sat down in one of the chairs as one of the other guards said,"President Wallace, sir. Who's responsible?"

It was a stupid question. Dante knew who was responsible and Dante knew that this was his fault. He had invited the girl unbidden into the Mountain and now he had to kill the girl. He only hoped that he could up with a good enough reason to appease Clarke's friends.

It would be a shame to have to harvest them too.

"Put a locate and subdue order on Clarke Griffin,"said Dante to the guards and they nodded before speaking into their radios.

Dante closed his eyes from the stress of the situation, but he opened them when he heard Cage speak,"Found her. "

Dante looked at the screen his son was looking at and he was surprised to see Clarke standing right in front of a camera with Maya held hostage. There was a large knife held to the other girl's throat and she seemed positively petrified.

Clarke lifted something else to her face as she adjusted her grip on Maya and Dante was surprised to hear Clarke's voice come out of the PA system on the Mountain.

"Citizens of Mount Weather,"said Clarke and her voice came out unwavering, "I'm currently holding Maya Vie hostage. All I want is to leave this Mountain. If anyone attempts to enter Medical then she will die and it will be your fault. She is the only Mount Weather citizen that is immune to radiation so I imagine you guys wouldn't want that."

Cage looked at his father and he felt his own nervousness rise up as he saw how pale the man's face was,"Dad? What should I do?"

Dante sighed heavily and not for the first time Cage could see the weight that came with being President press down on his father,"Tell all units to stand down. If everyone knows we attacked despite Maya's life being threatened there'll be chaos."

"Why can't we just threaten her own people?"said Cage, but that idea was immediately rejected by a shake of the head from Dante.

"What Clarke has done will alienate her from her people. We can finally integrate them into our genetic line while we allow you and Lorelei's project to go on. This way we will have established our return to the ground without having to dispose of Clarke,"said Dante and he said,"Let her leave. I want squads covering all possible exit routes from the Mountain covered. If you can't subdue her..."

Dante looked at Clarke on the screen and he was surprised when all of a sudden all the monitors blacked out. He knee that it was the work of the girl and he knew that if she escaped the Mountain he would have to pull out all the stops to make sure she wasn't a threat anymore.

"If you can't subdue Clarke Griffin then you kill her."

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Maya and Clarke both made it into medical and Maya looked slightly pale. Clarke turned to her and said,"Hey, we had to do that or else Dante would have been suspicious now what's this way out you were talking about?"

Maya looked nervous and said,"It's better if I show you."

Clarke followed the girl as she was guided into to a room with pipes coming out of the wall that led to the beds that were in the room. Clarke was confused because it looked like an infirmary, but there were no patients whatsoever.

"What is this place, Maya?"said Clarke as she looked at the other girl.

The other girl seemed scared for some reason and said,"This is where we get our treatments. My mom died in here after refusing to take any treatments. "

Clarke looked at the girl sympathetically and said,"This must be hard for you."

Clarke placed a hand on the other girl's shoulder,but she was surprised to see the girl flinch away from her.

Maya tried to play it off and said,"This isn't why we here come on."

Maya led Clarke to another door and she was surprised by what waited for her on the other side. The first thing that she noticed as she stepped into the room.

It smelled like some odd mixture of medicine, flowers and some other unknown ingredients. However, it was what she saw next that made her forget completely about the scent of the room.

Cages. Hundred and hundreds of cages were stacked upon one another and inside were emaciated people deep in the throes of sleep. It was with closer scrutiny that Clarke realised that the people inside were Grounders as she recognised the distinctive tattoos of the Trikru on some of them. The pipes from the other room led into here and although they weren't connected to anything the multitude of blood stains on the floor beneath the pipes was enough of a clue for Clarke.

Clarke looked at Maya and said with pure anger in her voice,"This is what you were talking about? Your people have been treating the Grounders like cattle and bleeding them for your treatments?"

Clarke had begun to advance on Maya and the girl stepped back as purple light began to radiate from Clarke's body and eyes. The girl backed into the table and said,"I wanted to tell you, but we can't speak about it. The last time there had been a rebellion against this the dissidents had all been killed off. I wanted to tell you since I'veheard about how strong you were, but I still had faith in my people. It was only after you cured me that I knew I had to do something. "

Clarke stopped her advance and said,"Okay. You're right, but all your people are cowards for allowing this. This is sick."

Maya nodded and Clarke turned her back on the other girl and she began to traverse the cages. The Grounders all looked at her with exhausted and tired eyes, but it was only when she was walking through the second corridor that she heard a voice she wasn't expecting to hear.

"Clarke,"said Mbege and Clarke felt her anger at the Mountain Men grow as she took in the state of her fellow Arker. He was dressed in rags and he appeared extremely skinny to the point where his ribs were protruding,"You've got to help us.

"Mbege, "said Clarke as she knelt down to his level,"Why are you here? The reapers swarmed your camp. We thought you were dead."

"The reapers,"said Mbege and his eyes were only half-focused,"They attacked us. We stood no chance. Our bullets didn't stop them and they just kept coming and coming... The last thing I remember was getting dragged here and these guys in suits came out with these rods that made noise. They acted like it was causing them pain and they got injected with some red liquid that made them act..._high._ "

Clarke was stunned by the turn of events. The reapers weren't some separate faction. They were basically the foot soldiers of the Mountain Men. They stole Grounders and either bled them dry or turned them into cannibalistic, drug-addicted monsters.

"You have to kill them, Clarke,"said Mbege as he looked her dead in the eye, "All the Arkers have been bled day after day. A few days ago, they bled us one after the after for over two hours. I haven't seen Trina in long now. That bitch of a doctor came looking for her and I have no clue what happened to her...p-please help us. I can't take this torture anymore."

Clarke rose to her feet and said,"I will kill them, I promise. I can't free you all now, but I will be back."

Mbege had fainted after speaking to Clarke and the temptation to stay and heal everyone was rising up in Clarke, but she knew she had to find whi she was looking for.

It was with luck that she recognised the hairstyle from the corner of her eye and she rattled the cage to wake up the sleeping person, "Anya. Wake up, we're leaving."

The woman stirred slightly before lunging at Clarke,"This is your fault, branwada. If I hadn't helped you foolish children then the Maunon wouldn't have caught me."

Clarke shook her head in annoyance and said,"We have to leave now. We don't have much time. Anya, we need to get to the Commander now. Once we tell her what's happening in here we can get the Coalition to storm this place. Your people will finally be freed."

This seemed to placate Anya and she sighed and said,"Fine, I'll take you to her. Don't expect a warm welcome from her however."

Clarke nodded and grabbed onto the lock that was on Anya's cage. A simple twist and the lock was off and the Grounder general clambered out of the cage. The sight and noise of Anya climbing out of her cage rose caused quite the commotion in the room and Clarke was inundated by various requests to free the other prisoners.

Clarke felt trapped until Anya shouted a command in Trigedasleng. Immediately, the room fell into a deep silence and Clarke looked at Anya and said,"Do you need healing?"

The woman shook her head and said,"I am a warrior. That can wait. How are we escaping?"

"Can't you get us out of here?"asked Clarke with mounting hope that was dashed when Anya said,"If I could, why would I still be in this place? We need to find another way out."

"I know another way out,"said Maya and Anya nearly attacked the girl upon seeing her, but she was stopped by Clarke who stepped in between them,"She's the reason I got in here. If you hurt her then there's no way out for us."

"She is also one of the ones who choose the next people they will bleed,"said Anya with venom in her voice,"Why should we trust her?"

Maya, surprisingly, responded herself and said,"It's not all of us that wish for this. We do the jobs we're assigned or we might die. I know of many people who have refused to take your people's blood. When you come with your army, I need to know that them and the children will be safe."

Anya took a step forward, but she stopped as Clarke said,"Fine, we won't hurt any of them. Now, can you show us to the exit."

Maya nodded and Anya walked past Clarke leaving the blonde at the back of the group. Clarke was about to turn when she heard another familiar voice though a considerably less welcome one.

"Clarke,"said Diana and if her face and voice weren't etched I to her memory, Clarke would have struggled to recognise the pale and emaciated woman before her,"Please help me. I'm on my last legs–"

Diana's plea was cut off as Clarke spat in her face. The girl's eyes were a solid purple and there was pure anger and rage radiating off of her. Clarke's hand reached through the bars and she placed it on Diana's thigh before Diana screamed in pain as pulses of electricity coursed through her veins.

The pain was excruciating beyond anything she had ever experienced and Diana was barely conscious by the time the torture stopped, but she still heard Clarke's parting words as she made her way towards the room Anya and Maya were in.

"Go float yourself, you _bitch_."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So I press this button and this will lead us into the tunnels?"asked Anya as she looked down at the floor.

Clarke nodded and said,"That's what Maya said. We need to leave now. Maya won't be unconscious for long. Press the button. "

Anya looked vaguely annoyed at Clarke, but she pressed the button anyways. There was a loud buzzing before the floor opened beneath them. The two were sliding down a chute for a few seconds before they landed harshly in a metal container.

Clarke opened her eyes and she was stunned to see the body of another Grounder and it seemed as though the man was still alive. Clarke knew there was nothing she could do for him in this moment and Anya clearly knew it too.

The woman placed her hands gently, almost motherly on the man's neck and whispered softly,"Yu gonplei ste odon. "

Clarke knew what was coming and she didn't even look away as Anya jerked the man's head suddenly and he fell limp in a matter of seconds. They laid there for a few moments in an uncomfortable silence before finally deciding that they had relaxed for long enough.

They scrambled to their feet and Clarke could see Anya smiled as she looked at her hands. Clarke was confused by the action until ,in a puff of black smoke, a set of clothes appeared and Anya quickly pulled them on much to Clarke's amazement.

"You can summon things to you?"said Clarke and she received a curt nod from Anya before the woman said,"The reapers live in these tunnels. We need to make sure we get out of here."

There was another burst of black smoke and once it cleared away Clarke was able to see the two daggers that were in Anya's hands,"Be on guard, Maunon are approaching."

Clarke wasn't sure what Anya was talking about until she too heard the heavy footsteps from around the corner in the tunnel. She allowed flames to cover her hands in preparation for the inevitable battle. The sounds got louder and louder as she waited for them to appear and she was relieved to see that they were only two.

However, before Clarke could even shoot the fireballs, Anya had already teleported in front of the one man and she quickly slashed his throat. The other had his finger on his machine gun and was about to fire at Anya, but she deflected the gun and stabbed the man in the chest.

The bullets still shot out of the gun and they ricocheted off the walls of the tunnel in various directions. One grazed Clarke's arm, but she felt the wound began to heal and so she ignored it and looked at Anya and said,"We need to leave."

The sound of gunfire had probably attracted and Anya was about to leave, but Clarke said,"Look for two metal sticks on their body. They repel Reapers."

Luckily, Anya had found both and she three one at Clarke while keeping the other for herself,"Let's go, Skaiprisa."

Clarke followed Anya as she seemed to k ow where she was going, but after some time the woman seemed to fade almost completely and whatever adrenaline boost she had had was now gone.

"Anya,"said Clarke firmly,"You're still weak from the Mountain. Let me help you."

The woman glared at her fiercely, but when a violent tremor caused her to collapse to her knees she just gave a small nod of the head. Clarke picked her up bridal style and began to walk around looking for an exit.

Somehow, the sounds of footsteps near her had increased and Clarke realised that the Mountain Men were getting near. Clarke cursed the tunnels floors because it was slick with water and also had a rough, bumpy surface.

The exact conditions her superspeed would probably be more of a liability than a boon in.

She began to run at a decent clip, though, once she realised that she was getting boxed in. Anya was barely coherent and Clarke pushed hoped that an exit would appear soon enough.

It appeared that luck was on her side as a tunnel opened up to her left that had a breeze and she knew that meant it led to the surface she ran down the path and now she was fully conscious of the footsteps that were behind shadowing her every step.

Clarke's speed increased at the sight, but she was surprised when her body stopped on it's own accord.

!*

Clarke looked down and she was shocked to see that she was hundreds of feet in the air at the top of a dam. She had thought the tunnels were on ground level, but clearly that not been the case. She turned to find another route, but as luck would have it a group of 7 Mountain Men were standing opposite her all of them clad in their hazmat suits.

The leader pointed his gun at her and Clarke recognised the voice of Emerson that said,"It doesn't have to end this way, Clarke. Stand down and you get to live "

Clarke didn't respond as she felt excruciating pain originate from her back. The pain was getting too much and so Clarke lifted her foot before stepping down on the ground. Large, rugged stalagmites burst from the ground into most of the Mountain Men.

Emerson was the only one to get off scot-free and as he aimed his rifle at her a wall of rock rose up and sealed him from Clarke and Anya. Only one bullet snuck through and it grazed Clarke's shoulder.

The extreme pain she was in prevented Instinct from activating and it was sheer luck that saved her. Clarke felt herself begin to run hot and she removed her jacket and threw it to the side after she put down a slowly recovering Anya.

She could just barely hear that the Mountain Men were planning something with wall and she knew they had to leave soon. Finally, the worst of the pain was over and not long after it was all gone. Anya had seemingly recovered and she rose to her feet and she went to Clarke's side, "Are you okay?"

Clarke nodded and said,"Get in my arms now."

Anya looked confused by the sudden urgency in Clarke's voice, but that disbelief was increased when she saw the girl's eyes turned from their light blue to a deep yellow with a black centre.

Anya allowed Clarke to pick her up and they both heard some screams on the other side of the wall before the sound of something approaching the wall echoed off the walls.

Clarke ran at full speed and she ignored the feeling of dread that welled up inside her as the drop came closer and closer. Clarke felt a tingly feeling at the middle of her back and she felt her shirt loosen just slightly.

Soon, the edge was just in front of her and Clarke jumped with as much strength as she could muster. Behind her, the rock wall exploded and still going at super speed she turned back to cleary see through the smoke, fire and debris that Emerson was holding a rocket launcher and was clearly at fault for the explosion.

The tingly feeling increased and just as Clarke reached the apex of her jump and gravity began to drag her and Anya down. Two, large birds wings expanded from her back and they began to flap rapidly.

Clarke let out a sigh of relief as the wings continued to carry her and Anya to safety. Anya had only now opened her eyes and she looked at Clarke with awe as she took in the sight of Clarke actually flying.

Perhaps 20 minutes later, Clarke felt she had put enough distance between her and the Mountain. The sky had begun to lighten as sunset rapidly approached. Clarke landed safely in a clearing near a river.

She placed Anya down and she had to fight back a chuckle as she saw the dizziness that was clearly evident on Anya's face despite her being able to teleport at rapid speeds.

The woman knelt down next to the river and drank some water. Clarke focused on retracting her wings and unlike before it was extremely easy to take them away.

Anya was watching her and Clarke was about to speak until she saw Anya's gaze drop to her shoulder. The woman seemed to have gained a second wind as she said,"I knew you were a liar! You do not wish for peace! You want to kill the Commander, don't you?"

Clarke was confused and said,"What are you talking about?"

Anya only screamed in response and appeared in front of Clarke in a burst of smoke. Her nails had extended substantially in length and she tried to slash at Clarke's face. Clarke was able to raise her arm to block the slash and despite the deep gouges that were cut into her forearm she still had enough presence of mind to release a large burst of air that propelled Anya away from her.

Anya slammed into a tree hard, but she still rose to her feet and said,"I won't let you succeed. There can only be one of the blood."

It was then that Clarke realised Anya had flipped out once she had seen the shoulder that had been grazed by a bullet. Clarke looked at the forearm that Anya had scratched and she was stunned into silence as she looked at the colour of her blood.

It was black.

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**Hey guys there was yet another chapter.**

**Well, well, well. Clarke's a nightblood now and Anya is not impressed.**

**Also, Clarke patches things up with Raven and after 10 long chapters and over a 100K words Lexa makes her first appearance. I think for a S1 reboot fic this has to have taken some of the longest time ever to introduce her character.**

**As always, I love to hear from you guys. Whether it's reviews, PMs etc. I'm just glad that you guys are enjoying reading this story as much as I am writing this though I do think I enjoy writing more.**

**Also S/O to Anonymous True Love who basically made it impossible to put off finishing this chapter. Your reviews and theories are very welcome and that goes to all of you.**

**This one was wordy. 15K actually. Anyways, Clarke, Finn, Bellamy, Anya, Lexa are all on a collision course next chapter and expect the unexpected.**

**Also my chapters seem to be getting long at times so I hope you guys don't mind. It's just my writing style, but I haven't received any complaints about this so that's good.**

**Finally, the final ship was actually revealed in this chapter.**

**I'm kidding. You guys won't know what the ship is until it's too late. Hopefully, the plot will convince you to stick around regardless of the ship.**


	11. Blood

**Read the authors note at the end. It's rather important.**

**Also this story has gotten over 50 favourites. Thanks to everyone who added this to your list of faves. Its really flattering to know so many people find this story so enjoyable.**

**This is about 16K words in total and on a side note I tried to upload this at a time that would be convenient to my American readers considering that's where most of you are from, but I messed that up so...sorry...**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

The black blood was dripping almost languid off of Anya's extended nails and the drops fell slowly to the ground. Anya's face was still twisted in a snarl and the pain from Anya cutting into her arm was all too fresh in Clarke's mind.

Clearly, there had been some changes to her body that she wasn't aware of. Black blood? It hadn't happened when she had broken the glass. The deep red colour of her blood when she had crushed it was still vivid in her mind.

In hindsight, even then the red was a lot darker than what blood should have looked like even when deoxygenated.

It was then that she remembered what Darah had said about the Novus changing her body. Clarke hadn't really paid much attention to it, but the usage of her powers hadn't caused her pain except for the new one she had activated to escape the Mountain.

That meant that the acclimatisation of her body must have caused her blood to slowly change colour. Clarke wasn't sure what the purpose was, but she did notice that the niggling (and at times excruciating ) pain she felt when using her powers was gone.

She had gotten used to the pain that she had begun to associate with the Novus. She didn't really want to talk about it to the others because that would have caused them to worry and it wasn't anything Clarke couldn't handle.

However, now she felt no pain whatsoever and she knew she had to speak to Darah about what else might have changed without her knowing.

Clarke dispelled these thoughts and instead looked at Anya who did not look any calmer at all. It was obvious that the blood meant something to Anya, but whatever it meant could not have been good to garner such a violent response from Anya at the mere sight of it.

"Anya,"said Clarke cautiously, "What's wrong? Is it my blood? Why does that matter? We need to get to the Commander to–"

Unlike the last time Clarke reacted on time to Anya's attack and as expected she appeared next to Clarke her nails looking to rip the younger girl's throat out. Clarke caught the extended wrist of Anya and she threw the older woman away.

Anya recovered gracefully, though, and she skidded on her knees on the ground with her angry expression still set on her face. The woman spat towards Clarke's feet and said,"To think I trusted you. You don't wish to aid the Commander. You wish to overthrow her and take the title of Commander for yourself. I'll kill you myself before I let you get near to Heda."

Clarke raised her hands in what she hoped was a harmless gesture and said,"I don't know what the hell you're talking about. I want what's best for my people and that's with the Commander in charge. Lincoln said she created the Coalition and I want to see if we could join it."

Anya rose to her feet her nails decreasing in size as she rose. Twin plumes of smoke appeared in the woman's hands and the smoke faded to reveal gleaming daggers. The blades were clean and polished and the edge seemed to be extremely sharp.

Clarke knew that any words she might say to Anya at this stage would not matter. Whether it was her anger at being captured by the Mountain Men or actual distrust of Clarke driving her actions she knew that Anya wouldn't stop attacking Clarke until Clarke put her down.

Clarke felt confident in her ability to beat Anya, but she still tried the diplomatic approach once more as the two women began to circle each other,"I don't want to hurt you, Anya. We can talk this through."

A wicked smile split Anya's face and immediately Clarke knew this wasn't going where she wanted it to.

Anya adjusted her grip on her daggers and finally spoke,"That's a shame because I really want to hurt you."

Anya whipped her right hand forward and there was a flash of silver as the dagger that was in Anya's hand flew through the air at high speeds. It wasn't all that fast for Clarke however and her superspeed allowed her to swiftly, if a little clumsily, move out of the way of the dagger.

The clumsiness she showed clearly highlighted what was, in Clarke's opinion,one of Instinct's biggest failings. The self-preservation ability only activated when Clarke was unaware of danger such as in sneak attacks or when the explosion of the acid fog had almost burnt her to a crisp in the hallway outside the chamber.

Instinct however didn't activate when the Mountain Men had shot at her because Clarke was aware of the danger she was in and as such she had had to come up with ways to counteract these threats. It was why Anya had so easily cut Clarke.

The surprise of her ally of a few minutes ago attacking her had frozen her stock still and she was only able to raise an arm in self defense. A bad idea considering Anya's nails had felt as sharp as any scalpel Clarke has ever used.

The knife pegged into the ground and Clarke raised her hands at Anya and she hesitated for a bit before firing a psionic blast at the woman. Alas, her hesitation cost her and Anya had teleported out of danger the moment the shot left Clarke's hands.

The woman appeared in front of Clarke her arm already going for a slash with the dagger. Clarke recognised this exact move from Anya and she was able to catch the wrist of the arm that had the dagger in before slamming a palm strike on Anya's chest.

The air in Anya's lungs was quickly expelled and the woman herself was sent careening across the clearing before slamming into a tree. The sound Anya made when she collided with the tree echoed around the empty forest, but Anya herself was silent as she quickly regained her breath.

"Fight like a warrior,"said Anya as she finally regained her breath, "If you had punched me you could have won, but still you hesitate. "

Anya teleported to Clarke and she swung a fist towards the girl's face. Again Clarke's inexperience showed as she clumsily parried the punch. Anya lashed out with a kick and Clarke used both her hands to catch the strong blow. The ringing in her arms confirmed to her that the Grounders also had enhanced physical prowess.

Clarke looked up to Anya's face, but the smile on the woman's face clearly spelled trouble for her. In an amazing show of dexterity, Anya used her only standing leg to kick Clarke in the face and she wrenched her other leg free once the girl's grip on it loosened.

"Why do you hesitate?"said Anya in annoyance. Clarke turned to the other woman and Anya was amazed to see the bruising on the girl's face disappear quickly.

Clarke spat out something out of her mouth and Anya looked at where it had landed and she was surprised to see a globule of blood mixed in with teeth.

Clarke wiped the black blood that was dripping from the edge of her mouth and looked to the other woman. The teeth she had lost were already regenerating and once they were done Clarke said,"I already told you. I don't want to hurt you. I have no idea what the hell this blood means to you. A few days ago, my blood was red and now its black. I have no idea if this is some sort of new power or something, but what I do know is that you're trying to kill me for something that's not my fault!"

Anya had detected the switch in Clarke's tone and she had barely had enough time to brace herself before a purple blast smashed into her chest and sent her tumbling across the clearing again into a tree.

This time Anya groaned loudly as the pain of her smashing into the tree was far louder than before. Anya barely had time to process her surroundings before she felt a hand grip her by the front of her shirt.

Anya was pulled face to face with Clarke and the younger girl's eyes were emitting a radiant purple light as she said,"Speak or else."

Clarke had raised her other hand that wasn't holding onto Anya and the beginnings of a flame were beginning to form on it.

The threat was clear.

Anya for her part smirked and she wrapped Clarke in a tight hug before Clarke could even twitch and the other girl was confused as she felt her surroundings shift in a blink of an eye. The temperature dropped rapidly and she felt oddly short of breath.

There was blue and white all around her and Clarke realised where Anya had teleported them. They were both falling from the sky towards their death.

Anya was still holding tightly onto Clarke, but that soon changed as she disappeared in a wisp of smoke leaving Clarke all alone falling to her death.

Clarke's clothes were wet from falling through the clouds, but that all ended soon as she fell through the last of the clouds before she broke into open air.

The view of the forests and its surroundings would have been breathtaking if it hadn't been for the fact that Clarke was falling to her death. There were vast plains, high trees and Clarke was sure she caught a glimpse of a tall tower that must have survived the bombs, but she couldn't quite confirm it as her body twisted and spun through the air as the Earth's gravity pulled her closed to it's surface.

Clarke shook her head as the lightheadedness from shifting environments so quickly and spinning through the air began to get to her. Clarke closed her eyes and she hoped that her gamble wouldn't end with her going splat on the forest floor.

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In a forest clearing, a rabbit was hopping around in erratic bursts of energy. It's brown fur shone under the shine of the morning sun and it stopped every few hops to nibble on grass.

Suddenly, the rabbit paused as it's ears began to twitch wildly. It looked in a direction and sure enough a lone wolf was staring at it. There was a moment of silence before the rabbit began to run away at top speed into the surrounding brush.

The rabbit was swift, but the wolf had already prepared for this and it had begun to give chase after the rabbit. The wolf began to track the elusive bunny.

The chase continued on for minutes until the rabbit burst through the forest, but had to skid to a stop as a large river appeared in it's path. The rabbit tried to circle back, but in a flash it was all over.

The wolf snatched the rabbit up into it's maw and bit down firmly before it loped off back into the forest with the rabbit still alive somehow. It was only once the wolf was safely near it's den that the wolf bit down harder on the still alive rabbit.

Red liquid began to drip down the wolf's maw, but just as the wolf was about to snap it's jaw shut, large bolts of electricity emanated from the rabbit and the shocks that ran through it's system reflexively caused it's muscles to lock up which in turn prompted the rabbit to produce stronger amounts of electricity.

It was a vicious cycle that eventually ended with wolf collapsing once the stream of electricity died down. The wolf's jaw stayed lock, but the rabbit trapped within the jaws of the beast was already dead. The wolf's jaws had begun to bite down harder and harder as the electricity coursed through it's nervous system and a reflexive response from the rabbit had killed both predator and prey.

Back at the river were the rabbit had been caught, there were a few chirps and whistles from birds that emanated from the trees. The sounds began to rise in volume and intensity under the glow of the morning sun. However, all sounds were cut off as Anya appeared a few metres above the river in an explosion of smoke.

Less than a second later Anya lands feet first inside the water as a scream tore it's way from her lungs. A large spout of water rises up as the woman falls in before the water finally settles and stills.

There is no sound near the river for a few seconds and the birds that had been startled by the sudden appearance of Anya had begun to sing again. The birdsong had almost returned to it's previous volume before a large splash of water cut it off again.

Anya took a deep breath as she surfaced from the water and she began to gingerly swim towards shore. She finally reached the bank of the river and she pulled herself up onto the dry land.

Despite landing feet first, the impact with the water had been extremely painful, but it was necessary. A slight amount of guilt filled her chest at having killed the young girl, but she could not take any chances with Lexa's life.

Clarke being a natblida was an unforeseen problem and despite herself Anya wanted to help the girl help her people, but if word got out that another natblida existed aside from that pitiful Floukru woman then there would be problems.

Anya rose to her feet and she surveyed the area she was in. The explosion at The Mountain would have drawn a lot of attention and Anya was certain that Lexa would already have begun her travel to it or at the very least send scouts to investigate the incident.

Anya was about to teleport to one of the near villages, but she stopped something landed in front of her and kicked her in the stomach sending her back into the river. Anya cradled her stomach before pushing the pain down and swimming up to the surface.

She took a deep breath in and she turned to her attacker only to take in the sight if Clarke glaring at her with the girl's hands pointed towards the river. Lightning was crackling on her arms and Anya was initially confused about how the girl could have possibly survived such a high fall until she took in the large wings that were spread out behind the girl.

The girl's eyes were also different from their usual blue instead they were a deep yellow or golden colour with a black centre. The girl's hair was very messy – obviously a result from falling from so high – and some strands hung in her face.

Clarke glared at Anya before speaking, "Tell me about the black blood, Anya. Why is it so important to you? "

Anya was about to protest, but she stopped as she saw the lightning on the girl's arms intensify.

"I don't think you can dodge lightning, "said Clarke her eyes never leaving Anya's, "You said I was weak for holding back, but now I'm serious. Tell me what I need to know about the blood and anything else that's important or you'll be dead before you can blink."

Anya felt like screaming in pure frustration. She had forgotten about the girl's ability to fly when she had taken them to the skies. That usually took care of even the toughest of opponents, but clearly this woman wasn't the same as those that came before her.

"I'll tell you what you need to know,"said Anya and it went without saying by either of them that she was to remain in the river.

Anya sighed before she began to speak,"After the old world had been destroyed by the bombs, there had been chaos and death everywhere. Sickness, hunger, murder, rape...it was a time of true savagery. The powers we had been given by our ancestors were used as tools to fight and those few who did not obtain any powers were swiftly cut down."

Clarke's eyes had shifted from their yellow colour back to blue as Anya finally began to cooperate.

"It all changed one day. The few records that describe the appearance of Bekka Pramheda say she abandoned her home in the sky and she fell to the Earth to save what was left of humanity. She was said to be beautiful, smart, compassionate and strong. A true goddess given human form. She had the ability to make even the strongest of men kneel before her with mere words and she had knowledge of various fields. Her blood was revealed to be as black as the night sky and before her death she had made others from the 12 great cities that survived the war into natblidas or nightbloods. The leader of these 12 cities became her general and we were united under her rule."

Clarke could see no sign of deceit as Anya spoke to her and there was even a hint of that wonderment she had seen in Lincoln's eyes when he had spoken about the current Commander.

"The position she occupied was that of the Commander. The overseer and protector of all people. However, once she had died many had covered the power that came with being Heda. Bekka had made it law that only natblidas could ascend to the seat of Commander and there was many a dispute over the seat. The Coalition – already frayed after Bekka's death – was shattered once the Maunon had killed the marching army of the fifth Commander."

Clarke was surprised to hear that there had already been a coalition in place before the current one. She had always assumed the Grounders had been in constant conflict throughout the ages, but that was clearly not the case.

"It was then that the 12 generals at the time had decided to be their own people, but there was still the matter of the seat of Commander. The Commander had previously been chosen through votes or had been placed by previous Commanders, but the smaller clans wished for a fair chance at having the chance to have one of their own ascend to be Heda. The Commanders after Bekka had not been as impartial as her and had instead favoured their own people in many , the Conclave was born. A chance for any and all natblida from any clan to prove they were worthy of inheriting the spirit of the Commander and bring the power and glory to their clans. Natblida always have immense strength and were also capable of inheriting the Spirit of the Commander. They are revered because of this and it is extremely uncommon for natblidas to be in even a neutral standing with each other. Often, the thirst for power supersedes any boms they have with fellow natblida."

Clarke was intrigued to hear how the Commander was chosen and everything clicked as she asked,"Is that why you don't want me to meet the Commander? You think I'll kill her to become Commander? I would never do that, Anya! All I want to do is protect my people."

Anya snorted and said,"How can I be sure that you speak the truth? You are not sure of that yourself. You killed over 100 Ripas to save perhaps 30 of your own people. I'm sure you didn't think you were capable of doing such. Who's to say you wouldn't do worse for even more of your people?"

Clarke sighed and deactivated the lightning on her hands. She walked to the bank of the river and held out her hand expectantly to Anya. The woman eyed her warily, but eventually took the offered hand.

Clarke pulled forward once Anya had enough leverage and the woman rose out of the water. The woman wringed water out of her clothes before looking at Clarke's who hands were at her side.

"I know how much the Commander means to you, Anya,"said Clarke firmly as she looked at the other woman,"I just want to save both of our people from the Mountain and live in peace with all the other clans. The last thing I would want is to kill your leader. "

Anya stared at her seemingly unmoved by her words before saying, "Hold onto my arm. We'll need to sweep a few villages before getting word of the Commander's whereabouts. Also, if you want to be taken seriously by our people you can't back down. Show respect, but do not show fear. If you do then not even Heda will cate for what you say ."

Clarke only nodded and she grabbed onto the other woman's shoulder and within a second they disappeared in a puff of smoke leaving the area devoid of life once again.

* * *

Clarke's plan had worked. Barely. But the girl had managed to escape and that was what counted.

Raven sighed as she walked into Clarke's room which she had unofficially taken over and laid down on the bed.

There had been an enormous explosion that had rattled the bones of every single occupant in Mount Weather even the delinquents had been woken up from their drunken stupor as they had left the dorm to investigate.

It was how Raven had been found knocked unconscious in Clarke's room by Jasper and Miller. Raven had managed to give a convincing, but completely false story of how Clarke had knocked Raven out when she had tried to stand in the younger girl's way.

Okay, so not entirely false.

What had been fabricated was what Raven had said about the state of Clarke's mind. Raven had been forced to essentially call Clarke unstable to throw off any suspicions off of her and Maya. The citizens of the Mountain had been shocked when they had heard Clarke's voice come over the PA system and once they had heard her threaten Maya, the citizens had essentially formed a blockade to prevent anyone entering Medical.

Apparently, everyone knew everyone in this Mountain and Maya was universally loved by pretty much everyone in the Mountain either for her caring nature or the fact that she had performed and assisted in many operations over the years.

Regardless, Clarke had made a clean escape and Maya had been allowed to go home and given multiple days off. This had freed her up for the next stage of the operation.

"So you're sure that you can trust these people to get this done?"said Raven as she took in their surroundings. The vast amount of paintings put her off and even Maya's eagerness when speaking about about one of them hadn't eased her tension.

"Absolutely, "said Maya as she looked at Raven,"They're all against the treatments or have lost family who were against it. No one is really vocal about it ever since Dante's daughter died. She was very outspoken about her dislike of the treatments. "

Raven nodded and said,"Do you think Clarke will manage to signal you? Aren't there people monitoring the network?"

Maya shook her head and said,"For the most part, the Patrol sticks to one frequency. We've already set one up to speak so she should be able to contact me soon."

The sound of the door opening startled the girls and they froze with Raven moving in front of Maya as the voice drew nearer. They were relieved, however, to find that it was only Jasper that had come in.

"Should I be jealous?"asked Jasper with his goggles resting on his forehead. The belongings of the delinquents had been brought to The Mountain and decontaminated before being returned to the delinquents.

It was probably a gesture of goodwill on Dante's side as he would want the delinquents to view the residents of Mount Weather in a good light. Admittedly, Raven had also been so enamoured by the warm and comfy beds, square meals and hot water that she had missed out on the sinister nature of the Mountain.

It was only once Clarke had had that big, ugly fight with Octavia and that slimeball Murphy that she had begun to feel any sort of concern or anxiety.

Maya and Jasper had continued speaking animatedly until Raven heard the boy say something to her.

"What was that?"said Raven as she looked at the boy.

"I was asking how you guys are doing after everything,"said Jasper before his brow furrowed, "It's been maybe a couple of hours since Clarke went batshit crazy and attacked you guys. You can't tell me you forgot?"

Raven felt rather annoyed at the rather cruel summing up of Clarke's actions despite it actually being accurate and she muttered with a strong tinge of annoyance, "Whatever, I'm fine."

Raven then nodded at Maya before turning on her heel to leave the art room. Jasper's exact reaction to Clarke's actions were the reason why she and Maya had decided to not clue in any of the delinquents.

Her exit drew a soft goodbye from Maya and a sound of confusion from Jasper. The majority of the delinquents were not in Clarke's corner and it was probably due to the fear they had felt when they found Clarke standing in the centre of a mass of charred skeletons.

It was a terrifying sight for anyone and even Raven had been too scared to approach the girl. Luckily, they had managed to patch that up.

The rest of the delinquents were mad at Clarke for sending Bellamy after the other delinquents and these consisted most notably of Octavia and Miller. In essence, Clarke had been alienated by the very people she was trying to save, but Raven knew that the girl would have helped them regardless.

It was a dangerous game she was playing, though. The fact that Mbege was captured had nearly made Raven attack Maya out of anger, but she had reined in her anger. As it was, the only delinquents worth a damn in a fight were not nearly enough to overpower the Guard and whatever else the Mountain Men might have had hiding inside here.

Raven could only hope that Clarke would make contact soon because if the acid fog was down and Clarke brought a super powered Grounder army back with her...

It would be a slaughter.

* * *

Kane was in a decidedly good mood. The healing process for his arm had gone extremely well and the only thing that would be left behind was a scar, but that was a small price to pay for earning a chance at peace.

He was at a village that was apparently one of the closest to Camp Jaha. This was where the negotiations would take place and Thelonious had been sent back to the camp to explain that to everyone.

The village would also serve as a halfway point between Camp Jaha and Ton DC as well as Polis. The two cities were of a lot of importance to the Trikru according to Nyko with Ton DC often being the seat of the Commander when she was at war and Polis served as the current capital of the Coalition.

Kane was supposed to meet Lexa in one of the tents she had set up just for the meeting and he was given time to consider what the Ark (or Skaikru as they were called now) could do to help the Coalition.

There was another reason they were in this village , however. A large explosion had occurred in the direction of the Mountain. It had happened in the early hours of the day and Kane had no doubt that the Commander had already sent some of her own people to investigate what had occurred.

Kane put that out of his mind and instead focused on his impending meeting with Lexa. He walked out of the tent provided to him and began to make his way to the large one designated for the meeting.

He stopped outside the tent where two guards waited outside and before he could get a word out one of the guards – a behemoth of a man stepped forward.

The man put his hand on the hilt of his sword and as his features twisted into an expression of clear anger and annoyance said,"If any harms comes to Heda, I will kill you myself."

It made for quite an intimidating threat and despite his efforts to remain nonchalant Kane knew that he probably appeared a bit more intimidated than he should have. However, he didn't step back or flinch even when the man advanced on him with his sword drawn out of its hilt.

"Gustus, enough."

The voice of the Commander broke through Kane's standoff against the guard. Gustus immediately obeyed and it was still unsettling for Marcus to realise that if grown men were willing to comply to Lexa's orders then she was either a very respected leader or a formidable fighter if not both.

The Commander was barely older than the delinquents, perhaps three years at the most, and yet there was nothing childlike in her demeanour or general behaviour. She gave off the air of having struggled through life and yet always coming out on top, but that was something all of the Grounders exuded without exception. The air of perseverance and strength.

Life on the Ark was far more favourable than life on the ground it would

"You may enter, Marcus"said the Commander before turning her back on him and walking back into the tent.

Gustus gave him one last warning look, but Marcus just walked in behind the Commander paying no more attention to the irascible guard.

He found the Commander already seated at a table and despite it being dotted with chairs at multiple sides he chose to sit at the chair directly opposite the Commander, but he paused and looked at the Commander expectantly.

"You may take your seat,"said Lexa as she stared at him with a blank expression on her face.

Marcus sat down after a muted thanks and then there was silence. Marcus knew that it was probably for the best that he had been the one to go instead of Abby. He needed to show that he – and by the extension the Arkers – would heed to the Commander's word if they joined the Coalition.

If that meant waiting for someone less than half his age to give him permission to sit then so be it. Abby and Thelonious were far too prideful to allow this, but the rebellion on the Ark had really put things into perspective for Marcus and he knew he had to do what was necessary to ensure the continued existence of the people of the Ark.

"What is your offer, Marcus kom Skaikru,"said Lexa as she stared at him,"Why should I not gather the armies of the Coalition and slaughter your people from the youngest boy to the oldest woman? What can you offer me that the other clans cannot?"

Marcus had been preparing for this mentally since he had been given notice of the meeting. In truth, there probably was not a whole lot that they could offer, but Marcus was willing to do whatever it takes to gain entry into the Coalition.

"We have a plethora of knowledge from the old world. We could construct new weapons, machines and devices for your use,"said Kane as he put his strongest card down first,"Vehicles that move faster than horses, bombs that can destroy the thickest of walls, devices that allow you to speak to people hundreds of miles away even methods to find the most arable land without wasting seeds. These are only a few of the things we can produce and give to you, Heda."

Lexa seemed to ponder what Marcus said before responding ha,"Surely that is not all you can offer? I need something more substantial than simply technology. Azgeda trades fur, fish and wood in high amounts. Louwoda Kilron trades medicinal herbs, textiles and various fruit. All of the clans have their people under my command. What else other than technology do your people have to offer? Your people are inexperienced with the ways of the Earth. You only know how to use your guns to hunt and know virtually nothing of fighting, tracking, foraging or crafting. I will have to assign people from various clans to teach your people to do these things. How will you pay back the clans like the Trishanakru and Yujleda that will want nothing to do with technology? "

Kane felt vestiges of doubt began to grow and bloom within him as Lexa cut down his initial offer. It wasn't necessarily a no, but clearly they were going to have to offer more to the table than what he had initially placed.

Kane cleared his throat and said,"We also have amazing advances in medicine. I doubt there are many who can heal like Nyko across the clans. Our doctors and surgeons are extremely capable and we'd be willing to open our doors to the nearby Trikru villages as well as train some medics."

There was a reason Kane had said Trikru specifically. They were on Trikru land and were most likely going to be trained in various things by Trikru as well. If there was going to be a clan, Skaikru would interact with a lot it would be Trikru.

"Furthermore,"added Kane to hopefully sweeten the deal,"We would ally ourselves with Trikru in case of any war or conflict. Many of our Guard are well versed in shooting and I think despite our small numbers we could give sufficient aid in battle."

Marcus was mostly bluffing here in all honesty. He knew it would be a tall order to convince the Guard to join the Trikru in any battles they might have in the future, but since the Coalition was in place he hoped that there was no impending conflict that they would have to take part in.

It was this final statement that had cemented their place as Lexa said,"Very well, we will reconvene at Polis to cement our alliance and you'll be indicted at the thirteenth –"

The sharp crack of gunfire emanated from outside the tent and Marcus flinched when the sound washed over him. He looked back at Lexa who was already rising out of her seat.

Marcus was about to walk after her when she said something in Trigedasleng to the guards outside before walking out in a flurry of movement her cape swishing behind her. There was the sound of shuffling before Gustus walked in holding a sack and from the expression of urgency on his face he didn't wish to be preoccupied by this seemingly menial task.

Gustus thrust the bag towards Kane and promptly followed after Lexa. Kane opend the sack and he was surprised to see the rifle that had been taken from him. He gingerly took it out and he was surprised to find it still fully loaded. In fact, it was almost as if it hadn't been touched at all since he had been lured into the trap by Tristan.

Marcus walked out and he was horrified to see that a lot of the villagers were bleeding from gunshot wounds. He ran to the nearest one and he pressed down on the wound on her leg to stem the bleeding. The woman seemed to understand Marcus' intentions and began to apply pressure herself. Marcus wiped her blood onto his shirt and said,"What's going on? Who did this?"

The villager in question was a grown woman probably in her thirties. Luckily, she seemed to understand Kane as she said,"Goufa kom Maun-de. He came looking for Tristan and Heda. No one could touch him with their bows or swords and he used his gun to attack before running into the forest. Heda and Gustus ran after him I that direction, but he was swift and did not move the leaves or trees when running. It'll be hard to track him."

A sinking feeling came over Marcus at the thought of the Mountain Men attacking and if there was one here then it was likely that there were more in the surrounding woods. Marcus tore a large strip of cloth from his shirt and helped the woman make a rudimentary tourniquet on her leg.

The woman thanked Kane and immediately rose to her feet and began to marshal the other villagers around her into their houses. Kane thought about going into the woods, but he knew that he was too slow and unfamiliar with these parts to be of much help.

Instead, he helped get everyone inside before using the first aid skills he had acquired during his time on the Ark to help save the others. Unfortunately, a lot of the victims had taken a bullet to vital areas nd Kane was startled to see that one of the victims was Tristan who had been shot right in the heart.

The man's eyes were still open and Kane closed them before he began to see if there was anything else he could do to help those that were still bleeding out, but the ones that superficial wounds were all being moved away.

It was after perhaps fifteen minutes, a horn sounded and Kane was surprised when everyone in the building practically leapt up to exit the room. He had at first, thought, this was the fog signalling acid fog, but they were still too far away from The Mountain for that.

Marcus was one of the last to exit the room and he was surprised to see the Commander sitting atop a large pier white stallion. One key difference from her appearance during her meeting with him and her appearance now was that her warpaint had been applied to her face.

Marcus looked around and it was with some horror that he noticed that there were more villagers shot than he had thought, but the image that stayed in his mind was that of a little boy who laid on the ground clutching his stomach as blood poured out from in between his fingers.

Nyko was kneeling right next to the boy and his hands were glowing a soft green. The blood flow seemed to slow before stopping, but even from this far away Kane could tell that the wound was just barely heal and would likely scar.

"We have been attacked,"said Lexa suddenly and a hush fell over the crowd,"The boy claimed to be looking for me, but all he has done was harm my people and flee. Riders, gather the armies of the 12 clans. The Mountain will fall!"

Kane was surprised by the charges air that Lexa's speech had caused and even the oldest of men looked eager to follow her into hell and back. However, before anyone could move Lexa's next words startled Kane .

"However, we first need to rid ourselves of a coward,"said Lexa and then she turned to Kane and there was a vicious snarl marring her face, "We march to Skaikru's camp. Justice will be had."

It all dawned on Kane at once. Tristan being killed specifically while others were only wounded. The attacks of the Grounders going through him. Even the sound of the gunfire.

Finn just killed them all.

That was the last thought Kane had before he felt a vicious blow to the side of the head before the world turned black.

* * *

Clarke woke up with a start and she was surprised to find herself laying in a very comfortable bed. There was a window opposite the bed and from what she could tell it was the middle of the afternoon.

Clarke turned away from the room and tried to scan the room, but apart from the bed and a closet there wasn't much else giving the room a Spartan feel reminiscent of Clarke's cell on the Ark.

Clarke tried to get out of the bed, but she was surprised to find herself wearing unfamiliar clothes once she sat with her legs over the side of the bed. The clothes were comfortable and soft and consisted of various leathers and fabrics that were all black and brown in colours.

The combat boots she had taken from the Mountain were laying next to her bed as well as a new pair of socks. Clarke pulled the socks and boots on before she stood up feeling very refreshed.

Clarke and Anya had made their way to a secluded cabin in the woods after the first two villages they had investigated turned up blank. Anya had seen how tired Clarke was and had teleported them here after no one was aware of the Commander's whereabouts.

Clarke had bathed in a nearby river before changing into clothes that Anya had provided. Clarke had ended up sleeping for far longer than she had expected, but considering she had been awake since the early hours of the day she guessed she could be excused for it.

Clarke opened the door and she walked through the room that coupled as a kitchen and lounge of sorts before finally making it outside. There was Anya practicing with her sword as if she hadn't been locked up in a small cage just 24 hours ago.

There was a deer carcass that had already been skilled and the sweet smell of roasting meat teased Clarke's nose. Anya had built a fire and Tris of all people was the one preparing the food. Clarke wasn't sure when the girl had gotten here, but she offered her a smile which the young girl gleefully returned.

Meat was something she (along with all the delinquents) had taken a strong liking to once landing on Earth. They hadn't known just how mediocre their diet on the Ark was until they had all had their first taste of what the Earth had to offer.

Anya stopped practicing once she saw Clarke and holstered her sword. The woman then began to walk towards the trees that surrounded them and Clarke was surprised to see various throwing knives littering the ground.

There was a veritable arsenal littering the clearing that the cabin was located in and Clarke decided it couldn't hurt to help Anya out a little. Wordlessly, Clarke picked up the rest of the knives that were scattered across the forest floor.

The two women eventually gathered them all and placed them near the fire where Tris was. Clarke fiddled with the last of the knives before she turned to Anya and said,"You shouldn't be practicing. You were locked in a cage for days with barely any food. You should take it easy."

Anya shook her head vehemently and said,"I need to train. Once the Commander attacks the Mountain I'll be on the frontlines with Tris and I can't afford to be weak. I need to get my revenge."

Clarke was not surprised by Anya's statement. She knew that the Grounders were kept in hellish conditions and if she were in that situation she would want to exact some revenge too.

"You think the Commander will agree to help me?"said Clarke as she turned to Anya who nodded firmly.

"Yes,"said Anya after a pause before crouching down next to Tris who had begun whispering something in her mentor's ear,"Once the Commander hears about what they do to us and that the acid fog is down she will rally her army before attacking. The Mountain has been a scourge on our people for generations and her legend will be cemented for ages after crushing the Maunon."

Clarke was confused by the by play between the two especially as Tris now looked nervous and stiff. She ignored it for the meanwhile and said,"Is that all the Commander cares about? Cementing her legacy?"

Anya shook her head and said,"No, Lexa is much more than that. She cares for her people above everything. Her needs and wants are put to the side in everything. It was why when Nia–"

!*

Whatever Anya was going to say was cut off by a rain of bullets that came from the forest. Clarke had already raised a psionic dome to protect them and the bullets ricocheted off of the purple dome.

The rain continued until the sound of clicking noises filtered out from the tree line. Immediately, Anya disappeared in a burst of smoke with her knife in hand and not even a second later a scream was heard from within the brush.

Clarke's eyes shifted to a pale yellow with a large vertical slit. Immediately, she could see various heat signatures in the woods surrounding them. There was one that kept flitting around that she guessed was Anya as she hassled a group of five Maunon.

There were about five left and Clarke turned to Tris (whose face was a myriad of reds, blues and oranges) and said,"Stay here."

The girl didn't even have a chance to protest when Clarke stomped on the ground and four walls of rock 20 feet high formed around the girl making what was essentially a cage.

Clarke trained her eyes on the woods and the Mountain Men were to her eyes a vibrant reddish orange against the blue and purple forestry. Clarke twirled the knife in her hand before dropping her dome and throwing her knife at one of the five remaining Maunon.

Clarke had activated two powers from the time of curing Maya and they were both handy. The first gave her impeccable aim which was what she had used to cut Emerson's knife with the ice knife she had thrown and the second allowed her to manifest any threats of any animal.

It was how she had managed both to fly away from the Mountain and survive falling from the sky before tracking Anya down so quickly. A golden eagle had been the mold she had taken after an animal that had excellent vision typical of eagles, but was also an extremely swift flier.

Now, Clarke was using the infrared vision typical of snakes, in particular the pit viper. Clarke aimed her hands at two separate men in the woods before deactivation her infrared vision and she shot two bolts of lightning at them.

Her aim struck true and and twin screams were heard from the woods. Clarke ran at full speed at one of the last two and she was surprised to see a guard from the Mountain, but he wasn't wearing the typical hazmat suit of the Maunon.

In fact, he wasn't wearing anything at all. Clarke snatched the gun out of his hand before snapping the muzzle in half. The man looked panicked and he dropped to his knees before raising his hands slowly. His partner had taken off in some direction and Clarke knew that Anya was probably in pursuit of the straggler.

"How did you find us?"said Clarke as she looked at the guard from the Mountain. The man remained silent, but he still appeared quite scared.

"If you want to live,"growled Clarke as annoyance bubbled up inside her,"You'll tell me how you found us and how you're breathing this air."

The man stayed quiet until he felt a constricting sensation all around him. He let out a Yelp of surprise as purple energy lifted him off the ground and it felt as though his entire body was being squashed.

"Last chance."

The man began to cry and said,"Please, I have children and a husband – a family! They're all waiting for me to get back. Please don't kill me!"

Clarke was unmoved and she raised her hand with all her fingers splayed before slowly clenching her hand. The effect was instantaneous as the man let out a bone chilling scream as the pressure on his body became too much.

"I'll talk. I'll talk!"screamed the man in sheer pain and Clarke decreased the pressure drastically.

The man sighed in relief and even as tears fell from his eyes he began to speak,"It was Dante and Lorelei. They said that they had a way to cure us and it was through bone marrow transplants. They've told all of us already, but I got one first since I was made leader of this patrol after Whitman died."

"Whose bone marrow?"said Clarke and the man again hesitated before saying,"The Ark children. The ones we kept prisoner. Lorelei drilled them for bone marrow."

Clarke closed her eyes and began to breathe in and out slowly in order to calm down, but the anger she felt at being attacked was boiling underneath her skin.

Clarke eventually stilled and opened her eyes. The man looked pitiful with tears streaming down his face and the beginnings of mucus dripping from his nose.

"You drilled them?"said Clarke icily as she stared at the man,"Why? Why is your life more valuable than theirs? Did you know you would be killing children before the operation?"

The man had no answer and he just began to murmur quietly. Clarke growled in frustration and the next question dropped from her mouth like poison.

"Did you care?"

The silence served as Clarke's answer. She raised her hand and again the pressure was increased just ever so slightly on the man. The man turned hysterical and he began to plead Clarke earnestly,"Please let me go! I just wanted to come back to the surface. I just wanted to not feel like a prisoner anymore. I wanted our people to live up here again. It's so beautiful...I just wanted that for my own people. Isn't that what we deserve?"

The words struck a chord within Clarke as she could understand perfectly how a lifetime of living in a box could make people desperate. People were willing to do crazy things to live.

Kidnap and bleed hundreds of people until their death. Brainwash people into being drug addicted cannibals. Suffocate hundreds of people in their sleep. Form a rebellion and steal an escape pod to Earth. Train your children to fight as soon as they can walk.

Burn 100 people to death.

The truth was none of the people on Earth deserved the Earth. No one deserved it anymore than the other, but in the end that was not what mattered. Morality would not ensure survival on Earth anymore. It hadn't for the past centuries. There was only one thing that would allow them to survive.

Power.

Clarke began to clench her hand into a fist once again and the man let out a groan of pain before saying,"You said you were going to let me go! Please don't kill me...I'm just trying to save my people."

"I know and I'm sorry,"said Clarke solemnly before she added,"But that's what I'm trying to do too. I don't want to do this...but I have to."

Clarke immediately balled her hand up and her nails dug deep into her palm. A loud scream echoed out from the man and blood sprayed onto Clarke's face. Clarke let her hand drop to her side and she didn't even try to wipe her face as she felt the warm droplets of blood begin to cool and congeal on her face.

Clarke surveyed the damage she had done and it sickened her somewhat that she didn't even know the names of the four men she had killed. There wasn't time for that, however and Clarke turned her back on the corpses before running. Ack to where she had left Tris.

The rock prison still stood string and Clarke stamped down on the ground which caused the four walls to descend into the ground. Tris seemed surprised by the sudden movement of the walls and she nearly attacked Clarke before she saw who it was.

"Where is Anya?"questioned the girl and Clarke shrugged before pointing in the direction she came from,"One of the Maunon ran away. Anya went after him. She will be fine. She's strong."

That was something Clarke was certain about. The common foot soldiers of the Maunon were definitely not a match for Anya especially not in one on one situation.

"You should have let me fight,"said Tris with a petulant expression on her face, "I'm strong too."

Clarke smiled and ruffled the girl's hair and said,"I know, but Anya would have killed me if you got hurt. She gets pretty scary when angry."

Tris laughed at Clarke's joke and Clarke felt her own smile grow. Clarke had another reason for keeping Tris at the cabin of course and it had nothing to do with Anya.

Tris had probably been in more fights than Clarke had and even though she spoke with a maturity beyond her age at times – it was hard for Clarke to see her as anything, but a kid.

She knew Tris was dangerous and she also knew that the girl could have probably killed Clarke with her bare hands if Clarke didn't have any powers, but that wasn't the point.

The point was that when she looked at Clarke and saw her gangly limbs and young face it was hard to reconcile that with a fully fledged – or at least almost fully fledged – killer. The girl deserved at least a few more moments of peace and innocence.

Clarke was sure moments like that were far and in between for the Grounders and if she could prevent the girl from losing more of her innocence then at least she had done something right.

The girl in question turned to Clarke and said,"We need to burn the Maunon. Even they do not deserve to be left to rot."

Clarke turned to the girl in surprise and said,"You do not bury your dead?"

Tris recoiled at the question and said,"No. If we bury them their spirit is trapped within their corpse and they can never find peace. To the Trikru, the greatest insult one can ever commit is to bury their enemy's body and leave it to rot. Others clans believe differently, but all of the clans believe in allowing the spirit of the dead to move on."

It was times like these that made Tris appear far more mature than she appeared. The calmness and equanimity the girl spoke of death with was more saddening than surprising to Clarke. It reminded her that to Tris death was just another aspect of her life.

The girl may have looked like a child and have the the voice, but she was not a child in even the loosest of terms. The ground clearly had a way of maturing it's people quickly.

"Do we need to build a pyre for them?"said Clarke as she gestured towards the woods, but she was surprised when the girl shook her head.

"We only build pyres for our own people. We do not wish to imprison theirs souls, but it would be a disservice to our fallen clan members if we treated our enemies with the same reverence as them,"said Tris as she looked to the setting sun in the sky.

Clarke nodded and said,"I'll go take care of the bodies. You should wait here for Anya to come back. I'm sure she'll be back soon. "

The girl nodded in acceptance of the idea and Clarke rose to her feet before going off in the direction of Anya's skirmish with the Mount Weather guards. There was five of them and they all had suits on showing that the man Clarke had killed was speaking the truth about the bone marrow procedure.

Clarke made sure to detach the oxygen tanks as well the radios and tone generators the Mountain Men. Some even had shock batons that Clarke realise was commandeered from the stash the delinquents had after looting the Exodus ship.

Once all the devices in total were far away enough Clarke began to gather all the bodies to one central spot. A quick flick of the wrist and the bodies were in a rectangular hole in the ground.

Clarke stepped to the very edge of the hole before pointing her hands at the corpses before twin balls of fire burst into life on her hands. Clarke raised the temperature of the flames to their absolute maximum before she let loose with two blasts of fire.

Sweat dripped down from her brow, but Clarke was otherwise unaffected by the heat. The flames didn't spread to the other parts of the forest thanks to the hole in the ground and so Clarke was able to focus on her task entirely.

It was a hazy thirty minutes later that Clarke found herself walking back towards the cabin having made sure that all bodies were burnt to ashes before leaving them to be scattered in the wind. The radios of the Mountain Men were crackling constantly as a panicked voice kept trying to make contact with the patrol, but there was no response forthcoming.

Clarke was glad to see that the Mountain Men had brought their devices along especially since the radio and tone generators Clarke and Anya had stolen from the Mountain were lost during their fight.

Clarke walked back into camp and she was surprised to see Anya and Tris decked out in full armour. The two were in the process of attaching knives and swords to their bodies and were already looking in Clarke's direction.

Anya's eyes were once again filled with mistrust as she stared at Clarke. The woman stepped closer to Clarke and said,"You better leave. Now."

Clarke was confused and she voiced the question that was on her mind,"What do you mean? What's going on?"

Anya looked angry, but she seemed to calm down once Tris grabbed onto her arm. The woman took a deep breath in before saying,"A Trikru village was attacked. One of the generals in Trikru was killed and the branwada wounded innocents who tried to stop him. Apparently the boy used a gun and all attacks couldn't harm before he fled without a trace. The Coalition marches to his camp now."

Clarke felt a sinking feeling as she asked,"Who was it?"

Anya simply scoffed and said,"I think you know. Your people are located roughly 50 miles to the northwest. You should hand Finn over to the Commander before she decides to attack. You only have until daybreak before she will give the order to charge and I doubt your guns will save your people."

Ckarke felt frustration bubble up in her as Anya confirmed her suspicions. She felt both elated and dismayed to hear that Finn was alive. Elation because that meant the other delinquents including Bellamy and the Arkers were alive and well.

Yet, this felt hollow considering the fact that Clarke had to hand over one of the people she had sworn to protect to face his crimes.

"What will the Commander do to him?"inquired Clarke as she looked at Anya who looked ready to leave along with her second,"Will she not attack my people if I give him to her?"

Anya looked at Clarke with a serious expression on her face and said,"He will suffer a punishment equal to the crime. The traditional execution method of Trikru is death by a thousand cuts. The commander will deliver all cuts before ending it with a stab to the heart. However, if your people give him up then Skaikru will be absolved of all wrongdoing. Refuse and..."

"We'll be at war,"finished Clarke and her statement drew a nod from Anya.

"Make haste, Clarke,"said Anya as she looked at her,The lives of your people rest on your shoulders."

Clarke clenched her hand into a fist before saying with a hint of exhaustion,"What else is new?"

She was about to take off when Anya said,"I made a few changes to your clothes that you might find useful. Running on the ground now would be detrimental so it is better if you take to the skies."

Clarke reached to the back of her shirt and she was surprised to find two buttons on the back of her shirt. She undid them and she was surprised to feel two vertical slits that travers her back.

Clarke focused for a second before jer wings burst through the slits in the fabric seamlessly. Tris let out a sound of surprise and awe which turned into a gasp of surprise when Clarke turned back to them and her eyes had morphed into large circular shapes with yellow colouring and a black centre.

The eyes of an owl.

"I'll fix this,"said Clarke before she took in a gust of wind leaving the two Trikru members behind.

Clarke began to ascend to a suitable height before using her eyes to scan for any sight of Finn. She was able to see in the faroff distance a hulk of metal that must have been the Arkers camp and there was a large glow that surrounded it's base.

It was either one large fire or many small fires – torches probably.

Perhaps an army's worth of torches.

Clarke knew that Finn wouldn't have gone to camp for fear of being thrown to the wolves so she changed her direction away from the Ark and instead went to the one place she hoped she could find him.

* * *

"You let Finn go?"said Kane as he stared at Bellamy,"What on Earth possessed you to do something so stupid?"

Bellamy sighed as he looked down at the ground,"We wanted to find The 100. They just disappeared and you guys barely even cared about that. I couldn't go myself so I sent Finn to go find any leads. I didn't think he'd–"

"He'd what?"pressed Kane,"Go into a village and try to massacre it's residents? Now we have an army right outside our gates baying for the blood of our people, but Finn is nowhere to be found. "

"So now you care about our lives?"said Bellamy with anger,"Did you care when you sent us down here or when you floated Sector 17 in their sleep?"

"I did what we thought was best to survive,"said Kane firmly, "Everything was done to save as many people as possible. I don't think I need to remind you that you did your best to ensure that the entirety of the Ark didn't come down on two separate occasions. In case you didn't know, the disappearing wristband signatures and Raven's radio not working were the main motivations behind the Culling happening. Something you had a very large hand in. "

Bellamy looked away from Kane in shame as he was reminded of his past sins. Bellamy was well aware of what consequences his actions had had. He wasn't as blameless as he'd like to believe and it was whenever he was alone with his thoughts he was haunted by the choices he had made.

Kane calmed down as he saw the anguish and turmoil rise up in the boy and said,"The things we have done in our past don't define us. You and I have both wronged so many of our own people and those sins will haunt us as long as we live. The only thing we can do now is to make sure our people keep on surviving. The Commander seems partial to letting us into the Coalition, but we'll first have to..."

"Give them Finn?"asked Bellamy with a hint of derision in his voice,"What makes us so special that we get to decide who lives and who dies?"

Kane sighed gravely and said,"We are leaders, Bellamy. If we don't do this, who will? This is the cost of being a leader."

"I never asked for this,"said Bellamy as he rose to his feet.

Before Kane could respond his radio crackled to life.

"Marcus," said Abby as her voice sounded from the radio,"Get Bellamy out here now. We're going to need him."

Bellamy and Kane looked at each other before they both began to make their way to the outside of the Ark. They had to muscle their way through a throng of people, but once they muscled through they were surprised by what awaited them.

A large, monolithic mass of rock was hovering away from the camp. A dark skinned woman with black hair was standing at the helm of the army with her arm raised to the sky. The woman thrust her hand towards the gates of Camp Jaha and like a rocket the mass of stone began to accelerate directly towards the gate.

The residents of Camp Jaha let out a collective scream of terror as the rock surged towards their gate. Bellamy felt a tingling sensation of fear emanate across his body and guided by some mixture of stupidity and heroism he ran towards the incoming boulder.

He thrust both his hands out at the rock and pushed forward. The rock began to gradually slow down before it was stopped cold not ten feet away from him. The rock dropped to the ground with a massive boom that echoed like thunder across the entire clearing.

Bellamy felt sweat gather across the entirety of his body as he tried to regain his breath. The sheer effort required to stop the rock had been extremely trying on his body.

The sound of hooves drew his attention and he was surprised to see the woman that had launched the rock at their gates approach. The woman had warpaint in an intricate pattern around her eyes and she brought her horse to a stop right in front of Bellamy.

"What is your name?"said the woman and her voice was as harsh as one would expect from a seasoned warrior. Bellamy straightened up before saying,"Bellamy. Bellamy Blake. What's your name?"

"Indra,"replied the woman idly as of she wasn't standing in front of an enemy,"That was a warning shot. The Commander does not wish to shed more blood than is necessary. We just want you to hand over the coward."

Indra raised her hand up in some sort of signal and Bellamy was surprised to see a lot more of the large monoliths of stone rise up into the air, but this time there were on fire,"If we do not have him within an hour then you shall all burn."

The woman dropped her hand, but the monolithic boulders were still in the air floating precariously. Bellamy knew he could probably only stop about one more of those.

It had sapped at his energy to stop something that had been so heavy and moving so fast and he knew that stopping it was only half the problem. The flames that saturated the obelisks were another problem.

Bellamy turned his eyes from the dozens of meteorites before saying,"You'll get your man."

Bellamy turned his back and walked back to the gates. He heard Indra turn her horse and trot away presumably to report to the Commander.

Bellamy paid it no mind as he pondered on the whereabouts of Finn. Perhaps a few hours ago, Bellamy would have staunchly opposed giving him up, but with over two dozen burning masses of rock floating above Camp Jaha, Bellamy would be the first to throw the boy to the Grounders.

If only they could find a way to sneak a patrol past the army. The Grounders were convinced Finn was inside Camp Jaha and were being rather patient all things considered. They had formed a perimeter around Camp and there was literally no way in or out.

The only thing the Arkers could hope for was for a gift from above.

* * *

"Heda,"said Indra as she stood near Lexa at the crest of the valley that the Skaikru had made their home in,"It has been over an hour since I gave then the warning. They insult your power by ignoring your threat. The army grows restless. Give the signal and we shall send the fire boulders to kill them all for defying you."

"That's enough, Indra,"said Lexa as she stared impassively at the metallic monstrosity below her,"Skaikru and the army must understand that their lives are in my hand. Mine to take whenever I wish. If that is in an hour or a day or a year from now then so be it. They will accept it and so shall the army. I know you mean well so I will excuse your misstep. If any others in the army have similar concerns tell them what I have said and if they disagree then they are more than welcome to bring their complaints to me."

"Of course, Heda. I apologise,"said Indra before she bowed to the younger woman and left her alone.

Lexa waited for the woman to leave before a small sigh escaped her lips. Despite Lexa having chastised her, Lexa knew that Indra was right. Now was not the time to hesitate.

Skaikru had been living above the law for too long since their children had landed two moons ago. Any hesitation on her part would be seen as weakness and there were many who would relish the chance to strip her of her power.

Lexa's enemies had always been lurking in the shadows waiting patiently from the very second she had ascended for her to make a mistake. Countless enemies and foes had stood in her path thinking they had the upper hand and they had all fallen before her.

She had formed the Coalition through swift and decisive action. Hesitation was not something she was allowed to experience. Her mother had not allowed it. Anya had not allowed it and Lexa would not allow it now.

The thought of her mentor brought up a myriad of confusing and contradictory emotions within her. She pushed those aside and instead shouted an order to one of the generals of her army and the Trishanakru who was posted not too far away from her.

"Sagan,"said Lexa and the man turned to her in surprise. His hair shone from the light of the nearby fires and Lexa knew that despite his slight frame he was still one of her stronger and most trusted disciples.

"Yes, Heda,"said Sagan as he knelt before his Commander.

"Tell the 12 to prepare their men to charge. I shall take the lead of this regiment,"said Lexa before she left the man behind and began to walk through the crowd of warriors that were littered across the valley.

Lexa didn't need to look back to know that the man was making contact with the other 11 generals to coordinate their attack. One of Sagan's abilities was to speak into the minds of various people. It took a lot of energy, however, and so Lexa took charge of his regiment as he would be too drained to lead once his broadcast was complete.

By the time, Lexa had made her way to the front of the army her horse was already waiting for her and she climbed upon it. Her horse was the fastest by a long way in the entire Coalition and had been a gift from the Plain Riders when they joined the Coalition.

Lexa could feel the eyes of every person in the valley on her as she guided her horse a few feet ahead of the army. A quick scan across the valley showed that the other eleven regiments were ready and Lexa raised her hand which drew silence across the entire army before dropping it.

The tension hung thick in the air and it charged her being with the familiar, prevenient feeling she always felt before a battle. Lexa placed her hand on her sword and she drew it one smooth motion before beginning her charge as a battle cry tore it's way from her lips.

"Jus drein jus daun!"

Her army echoed the war cry before they charged the walls of the Sky People camp at full speed. The fire boulders were soaring above her head and soon overtook her as they sailed above her head at a speed that exceeded the kne set by the previous boulder that had been shot at the Sky People.

There was a sizeable distance between Lexa and her army as the cavalry and infantry trailed far behind her unable to keep up with the speed of her horse.

One of the boulders was already slowing down, probably the work of the man who had stopped the first one earlier, but it appeared as though he wasn't quite able to stop it and Lexa knew that it was going to collide with the large mass of people that were trying to seek shelter within their metal home.

Fools.

It was just when the fastest of the boulders were roughly one hundred feet away from striking the Camp that it happened. Her eyes spotted a vague, black and golden blur that shot straight past her and even sped past the boulders before it jumped over the gates of the Sky People.

Perhaps a second later, a glowing figure flew straight up from the centre of the camp before stopping in midair and spreading it's hands wide.

A vast, purple dome appeared over the camp of the Sky People. The boulders – 24 in total – all collided with the boulder, but to Lexa's surprise not one of the boulders managed to breach the wall and soon only the dome was remaining.

Lexa called for her army to halt their advance and soon silence reigned over the valley once again as Sky People and her own people looked at the dome in amazement.

The dome remained standing even as the figure slowly folded it's arms. From this close up , it was easy for Lexa to see where the figure was looking.

Right at her.

The sound of a horse pulling up next to her drew her attention away from the figure even though she could feel it's state boring into her and she was surprised to see Anya was the one who had rode up next to her.

"Anya?"said Lexa and she was sure the confusion that laced her voice was prominent across her face,"How are you here?"

Anya, for her part, looked equal parts amazed and amused as she simply pointed at the floating figure who Lexa could now see had wings keeping her in place.

"Her,"said Anya before turning to her mentor, "We escaped from the Mountain together."

Nothing could have prepared Lexa for that and she scanned her first for any signs of deceit, but Lexa was certain that Anya was not lying to her.

Lexa pivoted her horse before facing her army and she made sure to project her voice as she said,"Stand down! Anyone who disobeys loses their head."

There were slight murmurs from her army, but no one spoke up and soon all swords had been sheathed and all horses had been dismounted.

The figure seemed to exchange a nod with Anya bizarrely before dropping down to the centre of the camp as the dome dissipated in a flicker of purple light.

* * *

Clarke landed safely on her feet before dispersing her wings. Finn was still lying on the ground unconscious where she had left him. The boy had been hiding in an art supply bunker that he had discovered on their earlier days on the ground.

It was from there were Clarke had given Raven the supplies to mark down which delinquents had powers and which did not – another item that was potentially in the hands of the Mountain Men.

A gasp drew Clarke's attention and she looked up to see her mother, Kane and Bellamy looking at her like she was an alien.

"Clarke?"said Abby as tears began to stream down her cheeks as her eyes ran up and down her daughter's body in confusion. Clarke nodded slowly and she smiled slightly as the woman enveloped her in a hug which Clarke returned fiercely. Tears had begun to stream down Clarke's gave as well and Abby wiped them before whispering in her ear,"We thought you were dead. The corpses at the dropship they..."

"They were killed by me,"said Clarke as she cut her mother off.

Abby looked horrified and tried to pull Clarke into another hug. Clarke allowed it to happen before she pulled free from the hug. Her mother's pity had begun to feel suffocating.

Clarke nodded at Kane before she felt herself pulled into another hug this time by Bellamy. She returned the hug fiercely before pulling back.

Clarke looked at Bellamy and said,"I thought you were all dead. The Mountain Mem they–"

"The Mountain Men,"said Kane in shock,"How did you escape?"

Clarke turned to the man and said,"It's a long story. The Mountain Men aren't immune to the radiation levels of Earth so they wanted to use me to cure them and they took the rest of the delinquents as hostages to keep me in line."

"Why didn't you cure them?"pressed Abby as she looked at her daughter,"The Mountain probably has state of the art facilities and more than enough room for the people of the Ark. Surely being in there would have been better than the alternative?"

Clarke shook her head and said,"I didn't heal them because I didn't trust them. They were going to wipe out The Grounders, Mom. All of them and they lied about any of you guys being alive. Chances are they were going to kill me and the delinquents once I cured them all. They already kidnap the Grounders and bleed them dry for their blood or turn them into Reapers using some sort of drug. "

Bellamy looked startled at the news and said,"They make the reapers? So they sent them after us?"

Clarke nodded and said,"That's not all. They also kidnapped everyone in Mbege's camp. They kept them with the Grounders in these cages. They were so thin. I knew had I to get out and get help from the Commander. "

"You left them in there?"said Bellamy with anger tinting his voice,"You left Octavia in there? Why would you do that, Clarke?"

Clarke felt a bit of despair as she took in the furious look on Bellamy's face. Now both Blake siblings probably hated her.

"I had to,"said Clarke firmly as she began to advance on Bellamy,"Octavia and I...we aren't in the greatest of places at the moment and she wouldn't listen to me when I said the Mountain Men were suspicious. None of the delinquents wanted anything to do with me except for Raven. The others, including Octavia, were too busy drinking and fucking to notice the danger they're in so I couldn't clue them in. This was the way that had the best chance of working. The Mountain Men won't harm if they the delinquents are oblivious to what's going on. Their President wants to integrate them into the bloodline so they're safe for now."

Bellamy's face was still stormy and he didn't even grace Clarke with a response as he turned his back on her. Clarke was about to go after him, but she stopped when Abby placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Let him vent, Clarke,"said Abby as she looked at her daughter,"That's not important. What is important is the army waiting outside our fence. Do you think we could–"

Clarke shook her head and said,"I know we wouldn't survive a war against then. That's why I got Finn. He's the key to peace here."

Abby looked surprised by Clarke's admission and she looked down at the boy before saying,"You're just going to hand him over to die just like that? I thought he was your friend?"

Clarke stepped away from Abby before picking up the boy,"Finn can go intangible. All I need to do is give them to him. If he escapes under their watch then it's not our fault."

Clarke then walked past the two council members as she began to make her way to the gates. To her surprise, Jaha was standing at the gates and he turned in her direction and nodded.

"Clarke,"said Jaha before looking down at Finn, "I see you found the Collins boy. I suspect that the Commander knows as much too considering what she just did."

Clarke looked past Jaha and she was surprised to see that the Grounders' army had retreated back somewhat. Anya along with a few other guards were standing in front of a woman in black clothing that Clarke recognised as the woman that had been leading the charge.

The Commander.

She cut a daunting figure, but what was more horrifying perhaps was the presence of a wooden post. It had clearly been hastily constructed, but it seemed sturdy. It was then that Clarke realised what would happen.

The Commander wanted to kill Finn right here and right now.

* * *

Lexa stared at the girl that was approaching her with the body of a boy in her arms. Her face was devoid of any emotion and she never broke eye contact with Lexa after she had noticed the post. The girl was dressed like Trikru, but carried herself somewhat like Skaikru. Her steps seemed somewhat unadjusted to the uneven terrain.

The girl eventually reached the front of her guard, but she was stopped by Indra who intercepted her path.

"Who are you?"said Indra stoically, but Lexa could perceive the slight amount of disdain that was leaking into Indra's voice.

"My name is Clarke Griffin. I'm here to deliver Finn Collins to the Commander,"said Clarke as she answered Indra's question, but didn't even look in her direction as her eyes continued to stare at Lexa.

Lexa waved her hand and Gustus took the body of the boy before roughly tying him to the post. The boy had begun to awaken from the rough treatment and began to struggle, but it was for naught as Gustus managed to secure him before throwing a punch into the boy's stomach.

Finn let out a groan of pain before his struggles ceased. Lexa placed her hand on the hilt of her sword as she walked through the crowd of her guards.

Clarke noted that Anya seemed to eye her former second nervously before she moved aside to allow her through. Eventually the Commander stood in front of Clarke and her eyes didn't betray any emotion as she stared right into Clarke's eyes.

"Anya,"said the Commander and apparently Anya understood whatever it was the Commander was asking as she walked up to the two other women.

Anya placed her hands on the shoulders of both women before they disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Clarke was surprised to see that they had been teleported to the inside of a tent. The thing that stood out the most to her was the presence of a throne made out of gnarled and twisted wood and steel. An inundation of candles provided sufficient light to the the tent

"Stand guard outside, Anya,"said the Commander to her mentor and Anya nodded before walking out the tent.

There was silence for a bit as the Commander stared down Clarke and just as the silence began to enter a whole new level of awkward she finally spoke.

"Why did you do it?"said the Commander and her tone was slightly inquisitive.

Clarke was confused by the sudden question and said,"Excuse me?"

The Commander didn't seem ruffled by Clarke's question and said,"Why did you choose to escape with Anya and not ally with the Maunon. Your people are more like them than they are like us. Why would you ally yourself with my people when you know we haven't been able to beat them in over a century of constant war?"

Clarke's eyes flashed with understanding as she understood the Commander's question. Anya probably hadn't had the time to tell her of what was going on in the Mountain and it would be remiss of the Commander to not scope out Clarke's intentions.

"The prisoners that the Maunon take,"said Clarke and the Commander nodded to show that she understood,"Not all of them get turned into Reapers. "

Clarke paused before she continued to speak,"The others all get thrown into these small cages like animals. The outside air is like poison to the Mountain Men. It burns their skin and kills them which is why they have your people. Whenever one of them gets exposed to the air they bleed one of your people and use their blood to heal them."

The shock and anger in the Commander's was as clear as day for Clarke, but she was undeterred and said,"They wanted me to cure them so they could walk on the ground without their suits, but I refused. I didn't trust them. I eventually managed to stage my escape, but I found out that they had lied to me about some of my people surviving. They were in the cages too being used for their blood and when I left I thought they were safe, but now..."

"They seem to have found a cure,"said Clarke seriously and she saw the Commander's eyes narrow,"After Anya and I had escaped the Mountain we were tracked down by a patrol of their squad, but the leader of the patrol wasn't in the suit so once we beat them I interrogated him. It turns out they're using my people's bone marrow to cure themselves and I have no idea of knowing how long they've been doing this nor how many of them have been cured. What I do know is that we need each other. If the Mountain Men get out of their hole then we both know that it would only end in bloodshed. "

"I see,"said the Commander as her eyes seemed to ponder what she had just learned,"How do I know you aren't just a spy, Clarke? Maybe you were sent here to gain my trust before stabbing me in the back?"

Clarke wasn't offended by the question and said,"You don't. You don't have to trust anything I say. In all honesty, if our roles were swapped I wouldn't trust you either, but I know you trust Anya. She was your mentor before you became Commander and I know that you trust her judgement. I'm not asking you to trust me I'm asking you to help me save our people."

Lexa seemed to ponder the question before she nodded and said,"I suppose you're right. After I kill Finn, our people will reconvene at a location that is far out of reach of the Mountain Men before orchestrating our plan of attack. Your people will be inducted into the Coalition after the fall of the Mountain. You will come to Polis and receive the mark of the Coalition. "

Clarke felt slightly nauseous as she was reminded of Finn's impending torture.

Death by a thousand cuts.

Clarke only hoped that was a hyperbolic name.

Luckily, the Commander was still willing to let them into the Coalition which was great, but it would only happen after the Mountain.

That wasn't good enough.

"I want our people to be inducted before the fall of the Mountain, "said Clarke resolutely even as the Commander looked at her in anger.

"You are in no position to make demands, "was what she practically growled as she grabbed onto the hilt of her sword.

"It's not a demand,"said Clarke as she stepped closer to the other woman,"It's a trade. You and I both know that you need my knowledge on the Mountain. I've mapped out their entire facility. I destroyed their acid fog machine on my own. If you destroy the Mountain, you'll be the greatest Heda since Becca, but you need my help for that."

From this close up, Clarke was able to see that the other woman wasn't that much older than her at all. Perhaps a year or two, but she had already been leader of her people for years by now.

"I'm not interested in elevating my legacy, "said the Commander, "I only wish for peace."

"This will get you your peace, Commander"said Clarke firmly, "Your people will never know true peace until the Maunon are killed. They should have died a long time ago during the bombings, but they're still alive and they're casting a dark shadow over your people. Your people can finally step out of darkness and into the light once we get rid of them."

Her words seemed to have struck a chord within the other woman. She appeared to be lost in thought and she looked up at Clarke as she said,"You remind me of someone I used to know. "

Clarke was surprised by the rather innocent statement and she remained silent for a beat before saying,"Who?"

The woman seemed to snapped out of her daze at the question and said,"Never mind. What else do you wish for? Would I be wrong in assuming you want more than just an immediate induction into the Coalition?"

Clarke nodded and she said,"Yes, there is more. My people need training on how to survive on Earth and we also need land. I want your people to train them as well as give them some food and clothes. They won't survive without it. I know this can't be freely given, but we have things of our that we are willing to trade."

Clarke was surprised to see that the Commander didn't oppose to this demand and she realised belatedly that this had probably been agreed upon earlier with Kane.

"I also want to be the one to kill Finn,"said Clarke and this time there was pushback from the Commander.

"Absolutely not,"said the woman furiously and the anger radiating off of her was nearly palpable,"He killed one of our generals and wounded many others. His blood is ours."

"I understand that,"said Clarke patiently before she added,"However, it was at a time of conflict and confusion. We had just been attacked by the reapers and Finn was mourning the loss of his love who died in front of his eyes at Tristan's hands. Finn has always been...fragile, but that is not his fault. He wouldn't have done any of this if I had been there so I'll take the weight of his death on my hands. If you were to do it my people would grow to resent you, but if I do it then they will fall in line."

Clarke meant every word she said. She knew that the almost successful attack on Camp Jaha would have allowed seeds of hatred and mistrust to begin to grow and if Clarke did it then at least that negativity wouldn't be directed at the person who practically held their lives in her hands.

However, she knew that this wasn't a good enough deal on it's own.

"I know I said this wasn't a demand,"said Clarke before she looked at the Commander,"I would have to give you something of equal or greater worth to what I have asked for."

The Commander appeared to be interested in what Clarke had to say and her voice held a curious lilt to it as she am said,"What are you willing to give me?"

"Me,"said Clarke and as the Commander's eyes widened considerably she realised how her words could have been misread, "I'm willing to offer you my power. I'm strong. A lot stronger than most of your soldiers and I'm sure you could find a use for someone as strong as me."

The Commander looked a little shaken by the devout affirmation before she said,"You say you're strong, but how do I know you will be worth the risk of angering my people?"

Clarke didn't break eye contact with the Commander as she raised her hand and a knife made of ice coalesced together above her hand. The Commander began to withdraw her sword slowly, but she paused in shock as Clarke used the knife to cut her palm instead.

Instantly, blood as dark as the night sky began to leak out of Clarke's hand. The wound began to heal almost as soon as the cut was made and before long it was completely healed.

"I'm a natblida,"said Clarke as she allowed the knife she held to drop to the ground,"I know you know what this blood means. I'll never raise arms against you and will fight for you so long as you honour our agreement. Do not mistake me for being like one of your Trikru. I'll still reserve the right to refuse something or break our deal if I have reason to believe you have betrayed my trust. I won't be some lackey you can just order around. Do we have a deal, Commander?"

The Commander was still staring at the blood soaked knife on the floor before she looked back to Clarke. Clarke knew that there was at least one other natblida from her conversation with Anya earlier and if the blood carried as much weight as she was led to believe then it would probably be seen as beneficial by the Commander to have Clarke's loyalty tied to her even if the loyalty wasn't in the same vein as the one the Commander enjoyed with the rest of the people.

"We do have a deal, Clarke"said the Commander as her eyes finally looked away from the knife,"I promise that I'll always do my best to protect my people and you can trust me on that. I suppose for you to begin to trust me, however, we would have to be on a first name basis. "

Clarke realised she didn't even know the Commander's name. Luckily, the woman saved the embarrassment of having to ask as she said,"My name is Lexa."

The Commander – Lexa – took out a dagger as she said,"I'll allow you to kill Finn and your people will have what they want. Truthfully, I hadn't expected you to be a nightblood, but that is neither here nor there. Your promise was unique, but rest assured I won't treat you as a soldier to command. As leader of Skaikru and a fellow nightblood, you aren't mine to command."

Clarke nodded at the words, but her eyes were still on the dagger Lexa clutched in her hand. In a motion similar to Clarke earlier she cut her own palm open. As expected, black blood poured out the wound and it stained the shiny surface of the dagger.

"We bind ourselves in blood,"said Lexa before handing the knife to Clarke.

The slick, dark blood began to run over Clarke's fingers before she mirrored the action of Lexa and cut into her hand – thankfully a different one from before. She didn't bother with wiping away the blood because it may have been part of the ceremony, but the slight surprise in Lexa's eyes made it seem like she could have wiped it away if she had been inclined to.

Clarke consciously stopped her healing from activating before she shook Lexa's hand. They made eye contact as they shook on the deal before they finally separated.

Lexa used a cloth to wipe her hands clean before she offered it to a grateful Clarke. Clarke made sure that there was no trace of blood on her hand before she turned towards Lexa who had begun to wrap her hand having evidently cut a bit too deep into her palm.

"I can heal that,"said Clarke as she walked closer to the Commander and her hand lit up in green.

Lexa seemed somewhat sceptical of Clarke's offer before she offered the hand to the other woman. Clarke placed one hand below Lexa's hand to steady it before she brought the other hand on top. The wound healed in a matter of seconds and soon there wasn't anymore blood leaking out from the wound.

Lexa eyed her hand in surprise before looking back at Clarke. The air in the room had become just a little awkward as Lexa seemed to be looking at Clarke and through her at the same time.

Just as she was about to speak, a loud, distant boom echoed out from the outside of the tent.

Clarke and Lexa both ran out and nearly collided with Anya who was on her way in. The droning sound was coming from the sky and seemed to be approaching them from the direction of the Mountain.

It was only once it began to drop rapidly that Clarke recognised it for what it was a it left a trail of smoke behind it,"A missile. "

And it was headed straight for the Ark.

* * *

**Hey guys I hope you enjoyed that chapter. I know I did. Please tell me what you think of it.**

**Okay, so I'm abandoning this story...just kidding I've invested way too much time intonthis to quit. My updates aren't frequent, but I think the chapter length makes up for it.**

**Now, I'll have to be honest with you here. I feel rather guilty for taking some of you on a trip for a ride about the pairing and while the final pairing isn't set in stone I feel like you deserve to know this.**

**There won't be any Bellarke in this one.**

**I have nothing against it and I do mean it when I say the final pairing isn't set in stone, but what I can tell you is that there won't be any Bellamy x Clarke. Sorry if I wasted anyone's time really, but it's taken me long hours of debating and pondering to decide whether or not I wanted to do it. I hope this doesn't ruin the fic for you.**

**With that being said, I haven't landed in the final pairing it might be Clarke x Lexa, Clarke x Raven or even Clarke x levers(just kidding...). I'm just putting this out there as a disclaimer of sorts I have so many good ideas for various pairings a lot of which I haven't introduced yet.**

**I want to pick a ship that I feel can fit organically within the story instead of fitting the story to the ship if that makes any sense.**

**So please don't leave if you love Bellarke or hate Clexa. It could even be that neither of them will be the final pairing.**

**Of course, once I land on the final pairing, I won't tell you since that might ruin it for some readers, but I just wanted to let you know that things are still undeveloped as far as that goes.**

**Please tell me what you think of this and again I apologise for taking any Bellarkers on a whirl. I wasn't originally going to say anything about it until the story ended, but I figured you guys deserve to know that's not gonna happen.**

**Cast:**

**Darah – Megan Ory**

**Sagan – Thomas Brodie-Sangster**

**Song rec:**

**Metric – Help I'm alive**


	12. Leader

**Please follow me at whiteleopard1124 on Twitter. My profile pic is the same as the cover for this story.**

**Please review should you find the time. I love your guys feedback.**

**If anyone knows where I can get a detailed PDF of a map of the US with states and major and minor cities clearly defined , please send me a PM with the website. It would be much appreciated.**

**Enjoy the chapter. It's about 13K words. Hope that makes up for my absence.**

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The missile had begun it's descent as it broke through the clouds and an ominous whistling began to emanate through the valley like a death knell.

"I need to go,"said Clarke to the other two women and before they could say another word her wings had already spread out behind her.

Clarke took off in a violent burst of wind, but she didn't look back at Anya and Lexa as she did her best to intercept the missile. Her wings were flapping rapidly and powerfully and the wind was whipping at her face as she strained to catch up to the missile.

Clarke forced her eyes to remain open through the harsh winds and she looked up at the missile. Her path would allow her to place herself between the missile and Camp Jaha.

Clarke slowed to a stop and her wings stopped flapping as she instead expelled air from below her feet to keep her still. This allowed Clarke to finally focus on the incoming missile that was a scant few seconds away from colliding with her.

The whistling was especially loud from this position, but Clarke paid it no heed as she instead focused on her technopathy. The encryption on the missile was rather easy to break and it told her all that she needed to know about the missile and it was this knowledge that she had gleaned that ended up confusing her.

The onboard guidance system was very simple. It essentially guided the missile towards a previously decided spot. It's path was decided beforehand and didn't seem to account for objects in it's path considering the way it kept zooming towards her as if she wasn't even there.

Clarke spread her arms wide before a purplish sphere encased her body. The missile approached her and even seemed to accelerate as it bore down on her. The whistling had reached an even higher pitch and Clarke took a deep breath in preparation.

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"Is she crazy?"said Abby as her voice trembled as she looked at the airborne form of her daughter,"That shield won't save her. It's too small. "

Bellamy placed a hand on Abby's shoulder and squeezed softly before he said,"Clarke is strong. She'll be fine."

The positivity of his words did not reach his face at all and a deep grimace was set on Bellamy's face. His free hand tightened into a fist as the missile approached Clarke.

He had no idea what Clarke was planning because he too believed that the dome wasn't strong enough to protect her. It irked Bellamy that he was stuck down here with nothing to do, but watch as Clarke risked her life.

She could have just as easily made a dome around the camp instead of whatever inane plan she had cooked up. Clarke wasn't one to shy away from danger, but this time he feared she may have bitten off more than she could chew.

There were people running around him that jostled him and Abby back and forth as they rushed in various directions seeking shelter. It was utter chaos and Bellamy vaguely registered the words of members of the Guard trying to organise the masses of people running around.

He ignored the noise around him as he steered himself for whatever awaited Clarke. A lot of other people had turned their eyes to the sky – Clarke's dome hing like a giant star in the sky and momentarily distracted everyone in the camp.

It was this lull in the chaos that allowed him to hear Abby's gasp as she seemed to register something just as the whistling of the missile changed pitch ever so slightly. He turned towards the woman in question and he was rather stunned to see a smile on her face.

He turned back to the sky and he watched in surprise as the missile began to turn up from it's nosedive even as it streaked towards Clarke. It was a very gradual process as the missile seemed to begin to fight against the pull of gravity as it's rockets began to adjust their angle.

The missile's nose stopped tilting up almost as if something was fighting against the upwards motion and he felt a spike of panic as the trajectory was still aimed at Clarke's dome.

Luckily, the resistance seemed to fade away as the nose began to ascend and a horrible , jarring noise emanated from the sky as the missile grinder against Clarke's barrier before it shot upwards into the sky.

The nose of the missile had continued to rise until it was pointing straight up. The missile now resembled a rocket as it soared upwards into the skies leaving a trail of fire behind it.

The missile continued to speed away from it's intended target in an upwards direction. It continued to travel for perhaps 15 seconds before a jagged bolt of lightning shot towards the missile – a bolt that originated from Clarke's position.

To Bellamy's amazement, Clarke's aim was dead on and the bolt hit the missile with unnerving accuracy. The lightning bolt dissipated as swiftly as it appeared and Bellamy traced the bolt back to it's origin to see Clarke still in the air and he was just able to see her hand pointing outwards.

That was the last thing he saw before a bright flash appeared in the sky followed by the largest explosion Bellamy had ever seen in his life. The explosion was so powerful that for a few seconds night had become day.

The shockwave came virtually immediately after and even from this far away the power in it was still able to be perceived even though they were safe from any effects it may have had on them had the explosion been closer to the ground.

The explosion died down eventually and Bellamy had to try and calm everybody around the camp down as the realisation of how close to death they had come settled in. Bellamy was still quite shaken himself.

The explosion of the Exodus ship wasn't even in the same class as this one. Not even close. That missile had been aimed at Camp Jaha, but it was clear that the people in the Mountain were definitely trying to take everyone – Grounders and Arkers.

A few minutes passed as the Guard tried to get things back into order. The second attack of the day had rattled the entirety of the camp and order was slowly, but surely being restored.

The sound of something landing on the ground drew Bellamy's attention and he turned just in time to see Clarke's wings retract into her back. Her eyes changed from a chilling amber back to their usual blue and not for the first time Bellamy wondered what the depths of Clarke's power were.

"Clarke,"said Abby as she rushed her daughter in a similar manner to when Clarke had protected them against the Grounder's attack,"What were you thinking? You should have made a dome like earlier. If that missile hadn't moved up in time you would have died!"

Despite her harsh tone, Abby was right. Clarke despite not having any wounds on her she appeared to be exhausted as sweat poured down her face. The shockwave and heat must have done a number on her and that was discounting the effort needed to redirect the missile. That was all mixed in with Clarke escaping from the Mountain as well.

Clarke straightened her posture in the face of her mother's interrogation and said,"If I made a dome here then the a lot of the Grounders would have died. That missile was strong and there wasn't even any nuclear materials in it."

Her technopathy had told her as much. That bomb had been in the same league as the ones that were launched during the nuclear war. That is if the word of the people on the 12 stations at the time was to be trusted.

The implications were staggering of course. Clearly, the Mountain Men hadn't allowed themselves to stagnate after the apocalypse and had instead continued to innovate and develop technology. It made sense considering the fact that they had made the acid fog machine and Clarke was certain they could roll back the fog whenever they wanted.

Technology to that level must have surely been beyond their capabilities and if they had any more missiles like that this fight just might end badly for the Grounders and delinquents.

Abby didn't looked impressed by Clarke's explanation and she stayed silent as she allowed her daughter to regain energy before saying,"If the Mountain Men have such power then why are we fighting against them?"

It was a question that both threw a bucket of cold water over Clarke and yet caused her anger to bubble up. The cold part of her knew that they were at quite a disadvantage. The Mountain Men had superb defenses and didn't even have to deploy men to strike at the Grounders.

It was very likely that they had missiles just as strong as this one and they could probably launch them at anytime. The only reason they hadn't was because they had still needed the Grounders alive so that the Mountain Men didn't succumb to radiation poisoning whenever they were exposed to it.

However, things were different now. A vast number of warriors were in the valley including the Arkers, but most importantly so was Clarke and Lexa that was probably just too good of an opportunity to pass up.

Lexa was the leader of the Coalition and even if the Mountain Men made it out it was possible that their missiles and technology would not have sufficed no matter how many they were. The Grounders were spread far and wide and the Mountain Men couldn't exactly go around blowing everything to pieces.

The Grounders– Trikru at least– lived where they did because their villages (at least the ones Clarke has been to) were near water, fertile land and there were plenty animals nearby to hunt.

If the Mountain Men did try and bomb every single square inch of the Grounders' territory then it was likely that they would end up ruining the most bountiful and arable places to live in. This meant they couldn't exactly use their maximum firepower to win this war.

It would have probably been easier to win the war if she was on Dante's side, but Clarke could not and would not allow herself to do it. Some of the delinquents had already been harvested and were caged up waiting to die– if they hadn't been killed already.

There was no way she was going to betray them like that. They had only fought to the death against exiled Grounders and reapers. The Mountain Men had abducted the delinquents, caged half of them and essentially held the others as hostages to make Clarke do their bidding.

"No matter what you may think,"said Clarke finally as she looked to her mother, "The Mountain Men are monsters. The things they've done...I won't allow us to work with them."

Their argument had drawn the attention of the Arkers all around them and they had creeped closer as if to get a better view of the proceedings. It didn't escape Abby's notice that the majority of the adults as well as the upper echelons of the Ark sich as Jaha and Sinclair had moved behind her.

However, those people that she recognised to be of the working class and younger in age stood behind Clarke and to Abby's surprise and slight disappointment Kane also stood behind her daughter. There were also those that had been negatively impacted by the council such as Callie –her former best friend– who had been quit from her rank a few years ago as a councillor after the council had unanimously voted against her push to increase rations for the working class.

It had been the right thing to do objectively, but while they were on the Ark they had to what was necessary to survive. Their morality had to take a backseat in the face of their need to survive. It was as Jaha and Kane had often said.

First they had to survive and then they could work on deserving to survive. The Culling had caused both men to do a 180 in their approach, but now that they were faced with their destruction again it seemed Jaha had done a 180 ince again while Kane had stayed the course.

There were are who seemed undecided about where to stand and that included one Bellamy Blake. Abby had automatically assumed that he was going to stand behind Clarke, but they had clearly had a falling out of sorts as he stood between the two groups.

"I know honey, but–"said Abby after a long pause, but she was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Anya and the Commander in a cloud of smoke right in between her and Clarke.

Lexa eyed the mother and daughter standing in front of her and she seemed to almost ignore the crowd that surrounded her and Anya. She turned towards Abby and despite herself Abby wasn't able to stop herself from jerking backwards slightly in surprise and a little bit of fear as the eyes of the Commander peered at her. The warpaint on her face only added to the power and strength she was exuding.

This was the leader of the people that had survived the radiation on Earth for generations. She was also the leader of the people who had almost dropped what were practically meteorites on their camp. The thought of how strong she had to be was unsettling and her being in the camp did not bode well for them.

Clarke watched Lexa warily as she stared at her mother and it made for a very tense situation. Anya looked at Clarke and gave her a nod in greeting. A small smile grew on Clarke's face which was returned by the other woman. It was reassuring to see that Anya was still in her corner. It wasn't that she doubted Anya specifically, but the fact that Bellamy had not shown her his support in the standoff she had just had with her mother did not sit well with her at all.

She understood where Bellamy was coming from in all honesty. He cared about Octavia more than he did anyone else – himself included. It was why he was angry at her for leaving his sister in the clutches of the Mountain Men.

It was rather ironic that for both Blake siblings they were the other sibling's reason for their anger at Clarke. They were both justified, to a point, in regards to their feelings. Octavia's anger was misguided, but at the time she couldn't have known that the Mountain Men were actually their enemies and Bellamy being alive would probably take care of any differences she and Clarke have.

It probably wouldn't be as simple for Bellamy though. Clarke had chosen to leave his sister knowing she could die. It was a necessary sacrifice because Clarke knew she needed help to take down the Mountain and the missile was further proof of that fact. They might not have any powers, but that did not mean they were defenseless.

The fact that the Grounders, for all their power and strength, couldn't defeat the Mountain Men after all these years spoke volumes of their tactics and firepower. It was why although she empathised with Bellamy, she did not regret her actions. The delinquents would be safe so long as the Mountain Men didn't suspect them and they were probably too worried about the large army near their territory to look inwards all that much.

"I trust your people are fine, Chancellor Abby,"said Lexa suddenly and that only seemed to alleviate the tension in the air slightly.

"With no thanks to you,"said Abby in response and Clarke released a sigh. Her mother admittedly had no reason to trust Lexa especially considering they had been attacked by the Grounders under Lexa's orders just one hour ago.

Anya seemed to take exception to Abby's attitude and she took a step forward, but she halted in her movements as Lexa said,"That's enough, Anya. Tell Indra to make her way here. You shall go join the hunting parties. Your presence is no longer needed here."

To an ordinary observer, Anya did not appear fazed by the words, but having spent sufficient time around Anya it was rather easy for Clarke to see the humiliation and dare she say sadness that was barely visible in Anya. Anya's hands clenched into fists before they relaxed as the woman said,"As you wish, Heda."

Anya was gone a moment later and soon it was only Lexa that stood in the centre of the crowd. Clark remembered Anya saying how Lexa had punished her because of a failure on Anya's part years ago. It seemed that Anya being captured by the Mountain Men and assumed dead had supposedly done nothing to smooth over relations between the two.

It was saddening really as Clarke could see clear as day that the failure cast a shadow over Anya, but it was something Clarke had no involvement in and the best she could was to at least try to lend an ear to Anya. She probably needed one.

"What hunting parties?"said Bellamy suddenly and virtually everyone in the crowd turned to him.

Lexa turned to him to answer, but before anything could be said Clarke interjected, "The Mountain Men have been keeping eyes on us. It's how they knew to send such a strong missile. I tried to look for someone from up there, but I only saw your people fanning out."

"Clarke is right. We have found signs of scouts from the Mountain in the surroundings. That missile was a targeted attack on us all,"said Lexa as her eyes flicked over Clarke before she turned to address the crowd as a whole,"Our people may not have had the best of introductions, but it is imperative that we work together. The Mountain Men will stop at nothing to kill all of us. Clarke has already brokered an alliance with my people which I've accepted. The surrounding land up to a certain will be given to you as a gesture of goodwill. More information on the alliance will be given to you after we deal with the Mountain. "

The Arkers had begun to talk amongst themselves after Lexa had concluded her speech and Clarke was relieved to hear that there were murmurs of agreement. The Arkers knew that they were outgunned and the fact that the Mountain Men had tried to kill everyone in the valley probably played into Lexa's hands, but it was for the best.

There were sudden exclamations of surprise and delight that emanated from some of the crowd and Clarke turned to see what they were looking at. A party of Grounders were walking into the gates of Camp Jaha, but they all had various animal carcasses hanging on their shoulders as well as barrels and bunches of fruit.

The amount of food was more than enough for all the people of Camp Jaha and there would probably be surplus. It was only now that Clarke realised that the hunting parties Lexa was talking about weren't looking for the scout from the Mountain at all.

Lexa raised her hand seemingly asking for silence which was granted to her once the crowd noticed her movement,"Please accept these as a gesture of goodwill. The food will be prepared here and in the camps of my army. Tonight we celebrate our alliance!"

There was a chorus of cheers that punctuated the end of Lexa's proclamation and while it had started with the Grounders that had bought the food, it had spread to the Arkers near instantly. Fires were started up and down the valley and some of the Arkers –mostly younger children– had taken it upon themselves to approach some of the Grounders.

Clarke saw Lexa speak closely with Indra for a few minutes and it seemed to get somewhat heated before the older woman left once Lexa had dismissed her. Indra's face looked tight with emotion before she shouted orders in Trigedasleng to some warriors before leaving the camp. Clarke's flicked her eyes back to Lexa once Imdra had left and she watched as the Commander seemed to stare off into space. Lexa seemed to sense Clarke's stare on her as she turned directly towards her.

They stared at each other Clarke's curious gaze meeting Lexa's calculating gaze. Clarke was about to look away when Lexa nodded at her once and before turning on her heel and slipping away from the crowds of people all around her.

Clarke turned away from Lexa and instead enjoyed the sights and smells of the feast as she tried to forget the awkwardness of getting caught out like that.

Luckily, a distraction presented itself as she turned her eyes to the gate and saw Anya carrying two large deers all on her own over each shoulder. The enhanced strength that all of those with powers clearly shining through. Her face was set in a stoic mask as she began to make her way towards one of the tables set out for preparing the meat.

Clarke walked up to the older woman and reached for one of the deers. Anya practically threw the deer into Clarke's hands, but Clarke still caught it without much effort.

"Are your people always so rude when offered help?"asked Clarke with no real bite in her voice.

Anya smirked as she said,"Only to those that annoy us."

Clarke shook her head as she followed Anya to the tables where they put down their load. The operator – who like a lot of Grounders was very physically imposing –at the table greeted Anya respectfully as they traded some words.

"Anya,"said the man with a broad smile,"It is great to see you return from the Mountain. Tris had been rather upset to hear you had been captured. "

Anya smiled back and said,"It's great to see you too, Rylan. Tris was rather...emotional when we found her after escaping. I didn't know she had become so strong."

Rylan laughed heartily and once he calmed down said,"You said you escaped with someone else. Who was this–"

Rylan had turned towards Clarke while speaking to Anya and his smile died on his lips. He jerked back ever so slightly and his eyes displayed a guardedness that had been absent while he had been speaking with Anya. He didn't even allow Clarke to put down the deer as he practically scrambled around the table and quite literally took it out of her hands.

"Mochof, Skaiprisa,"said the man with fear and respect blending into his voice. Clarke was confused by the man's reaction and she was about to speak when Anya grabbed her arm.

"We'll speak more later on, Rylan,"said Anya as she pulled Clarke away,"Don't burn my meat."

The man smiled broadly again, but it didn't quite reach his eyes as they panned over Anya and Clarke before he turned his attention back to the meat in front of him.

Clarke pulled her arm free from Anya's grip before they eventually made their way to one of the fires outside of Canp Jaha. There wasn't anything to sit on so Clarke stomped on the ground and a perfectly rectangular piece of rock emerged.

She sat down on it and moved over for Anya to sit next to her as well. They sat in a somewhat uncomfortable silence as they watched the Grounders and Arkers prepare the food. Clarke couldn't help, but notice that everytime a Grounder walked past them they seemed to veer off course as if to avoid them. It happened without fail for a long time before Clarke finally sighed in frustration.

"Do I have something on my face?"said Clarke with some annoyance in her voice,"Everyone is avoiding me like I have the plague."

Anya snorted and said,"You astound me with your blindness."

Clarke raised a brow in confusion before she turned to Anya,"What do you mean?"

Anya met her gaze and said,"People are avoiding you because of what you just did."

"Did what?"said Clarke,"Stop the missile?"

Anya nodded and said,"Yes as well as stopping the army's advance. That strategy is a particularly effective one used by Heda to destroy cities and you stopped it on your own. What's more you deflected the strongest missile anyone has ever seen explode not even 10 minutes after stopping our advance."

"They're scared of me?"said Clarke in realisation.

Anya shrugged and smiled wryly, " You made a rather memorabl entrance. I wouldn't be surprised if some people are too scared to even speak to you."

Clarke was about to answer, but she was surprised to see a group of young children from the Ark approach them. One of the girls stepped forward nervously and she looked back at her friends who ushered her forward.

The girl finally stopped in front of Clarke and after a nervous glance at Anya she looked back at Clarke and said,"Thank you for saving us, Clarke. We brought you some food. "

Clarke was surprised by the gesture and she took the plate that was in the girl's hands and said,"Uh, it's no problem. Thanks for the food and you and your friends should probably go get some food. "

The girl beamed at Clarke before she pulled her into a hug. The girl then ran off to her friends who greeted her with smiles and cheers. The group of kids then made their back to camp without even a look backwards.

Clarke was about to dig in, but she turned towards Anya who had a small smile on her face as she looked up to the sky.

"What?"questioned Clarke as she felt a little embarrassed about the whole situation now.

"Nothing."

The faraway look on her face made Clarke think that there was more to the story and she was again reminded of the rather frosty relationship between Anya and Lexa.

In the end, Clarke held her tongue as she decided against verbalising her concerns. There were some things better left unsaid after all.

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Clarke was running.

Her surroundings were a vague, wooded blur as she ran as fast as she could and still her pursuers were practically on her heels. The sound of heavy footfalls as well as a litany of growls and screams thundered out from behind . The animalistic sounds her pursuers were making only made her push even harder as she fled for her life.

The pursuers somehow managed to gain on Clarke as she felt their finger begin to graze her feet as she ran. Clarke didn't look back as she focused in front of her and to her relief she was approaching a break in the woods.

Cold fear settled in as she felt fingers graze her back and there was even one firm hand that grabbed onto her hair. that almost stopped her advance. She pulled free with a hard jerk of her head, however, and kept running even as she felt the flash of pain that came with hair being ripped from her head.

The break was just a few metres and Clarke leapt for it her legs pushing her up off the ground and forwards. She was bathed in harsh sunlight as she burst through the tree line and in a snap she turned behind her facing the woods with hands held out ready to burn whoever was behind her.

The sounds of a stampede had died down and Clarke strained her eyes to search for any sign of her pursuers. The only sound that reached Clarke's ears was that of her own breathing that was hoarse and staggered.

Clarke cautiously rose to her feet and she began to walk back into the woods, but a flicker at the corner of her eye drew her attention. Clarke spun and instantly fired a blast of psionic energy at the blur.

The figure wasn't able to dodge the blasts and it was sent flying head over heels before rolling to a stop. Clarke advanced to the prone body of the figure.

When she had gotten closer, Clarke was able to see that it was a vaguely familiar man whose clothes were caked in dirt and soot. The stench of smoke and blood wafted off of him, but he appeared to be completely still.

Clarke kicked the man in his side and he didn't even twitch. She followed up with another kick and still the man stayed still. Clarke relaxed as she realised the man was dead and she sunk to her knees in pure exhaustion.

Her lungs were burning and she tried to slowly regain her breath.

That's why she was wholly unprepared for the man to suddenly spring up from his position and wrap his hands around her neck.

Clarke beat on the man's hands and struggled to no avail. Her vision was beginning to grow spotty and black as her air supply was cut off.

Blood began to drip from the man above her onto her face and one of her eyes was glued shut from the thick liquid. Clarke was finally able to get a good look at the man and she was horrified by what she saw.

A face covered in burns of various degrees with only a tuft of faded, blonde hair atop his head. His blood vessels were plainly visible against his skin and they expanded and contracted rapidly.

Clarke's struggles ceased as she recognised the fave of the man above her.

"Dad?"rasped Clarke and she was rewarded by the man halting his attempt to kill her.

"You,"whispered Jake Griffin with fervour in his voice,"You are not my daughter. You monster!"

Tears streamed freely from Clarke's eyes as the words of her father tore into her very being before she let out a scream of pure anguish. The choking hands on her neck tightened further cutting her scream off before all went black.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Clarke sat up in her bed and desperately grabbed at her throat. It was after a few seconds that she realised that she had been dreaming. Clarke lifted a hand to her forehead only to find herself covered in a light layer of sweat.

She breathed in slowly and deeply as she tried to shake herself from the nightmare she had just had. Clarke spared a glance around her room and she let out a frustrated sigh as she took in the sight around her.

Every single object that hadn't been affixed to the floor– clothes, shoes, papers – was floating in the air covered in an ethereal, purple aura. Clarke closed her eyes and with a fairly quiet crash everything fell back to the ground.

Clarke had gone to sleep once the feast had died down and she had had to put up a brave face as she walked past a still tied up Finn.

She had forgotten about him completely in the aftermath of the attacks on Camp Jaha and he had obviously been moved away from the sight of everyone during the feast before being returned to his post.

The agreement with Lexa came rushing back to Clarke and suddenly her room felt stifling. She spared a glance outside and let out a relieved sigh at the sight of the slowly rising sun. There was probably an hour or two to go before the day would properly begin and the need for fresh air invaded Clarke's being like a virus.

She dressed in the armour that Anya had given her and pulled on her boots before making her way silently down the hallway. The amount of Arkers weren't enough to fill up the station entirely and so there were many empty rooms.

Clarke eventually reached the door that led outside and she took in a deep breath as the morning air eased her anxiety somewhat. The fresh air acting almost as a soothing balm as it eased her mind and pulled away the last vestiges of sleep.

There was hardly anyone to be seen except for Guards in the distance. Both Grounder and Arker which was a welcome surprise. Clarke reached the gate and almost instantly the tranquillity she was feeling evaporated as she took in who was standing guard at the gate.

"Where are you going, Clarke?"said Bellamy as he adjusted his grip on his rifle,"Are you gonna leave us here to die as well?"

Clarke clenched her fists in agitation as Bellamy's words cut into her. The guilt she had felt at leaving her friends in the Mountain coming back full throttle.

"Just open the gate,"said Clarke and she sighed as Bellamy shook his head and said,"Sorry. I can't do that. Your mother and Kane said you should stay in the camp for the time being. "

"Why?"said Clarke as any and all civility left her tone,"I just want to clear my head. Is that too much to ask for?"

Bellamy shrugged and turned his gaze away from her as he said,"Chancellor's orders. You know the leader of our people? "

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know, Clarke,"said Bellamy with an edge in his voice,"It's just that you seem to be awfully content with making decisions for everyone despite not actually being in charge. Exiling Mbege. The meeting with Anya. The second meeting with Anya. The dropship and of course The Mountain and whatever alliance you've struck up with the Grounders. You can't just run around making decisions that will affect everyone else. Not everyone got lucky enough to get injected with your special nanobots. "

"You think I don't know that?"said Clarke with some anger in her voice,"At the end of the day, I'm the one who got slapped with this power and I refuse to sit around and take orders like some dog. I want us to actually be able to live in peace for once. No reapers, no bloodsucking mountaineers and no conflict with the Grounders. I don't really care if you hate me for what I do, but don't think I'll stop because you're a bit upset."

Clarke breathed slightly heavily as her words hung heavy in the air. Bellamy looked just as bad as she felt and he was about to respond, but Clarke put her hand up to stop him.

"I know you're upset about Octavia, "began Clarke,"but you need to get over it. There was absolutely no way we would have gotten out of there unscathed and it's safer for all of the delinquents if she's there to protect them. Raven knows exactly what's going on with those guys and I gave someone I trusted a radio to use in case of an emergency. You weren't in there and you don't know how I feel about all of this so please don't begin to lecture me about my choices. Are you going to open this gate or not?"

Clarke waited impatiently for a reply and when it seemed like one was not forthcoming she simply scoffed,"Fine."

Clarke's wings spread out behind her and in an instant she pushed off the ground leaving Bellamy behind in the booth at the gate as she took to the skies.

Clarke's eyes panned over the ground and her eagle vision allowed her to take in details that would have otherwise been imperceptible. For instance, there was quite a number of Grounders out on a hunt in the surrounding woods and she was even able to watch as an arrow was fired from a bow before embedding into the neck of a deer.

Clarke panned the forests and it was teeming with Grounders out on a hunt. The camaraderie displayed between the hunting teams made her heart twinge and she quashed the feeling before it could drop her mood further.

Eventually she spotted a section that was rather empty and had a river that snaked through it. She adjusted her flight path as she weaved through the air and soon she landed in the clearing gracefully.

Clarke knew that there was hardly anyone in the area which she was grateful for as she allowed herself to focus inwardly. It had been far too long since she had practiced using her powers, but now was less about practice and more about stress relief.

Clarke held up left hand and watched as it became enveloped in a purple light. The shift in colour if her powers had obviously been noted by Clarke, but there had often been more pressing matters to deal with.

Now, however, she at the very least had an excuse to investigate the change. It was with this thought in mind that Clarke raised her hand towards a tree and fired a blast. A second later the blast collided with the tree and the sound of wood snapping and cracking echoed out as the blast smashed into the bough of the tree and a few seconds there was a loud groaning sound before the tree fell to the ground.

There was no apparent change that had resulted from the colour change noted Clarke as she recalled doing the same amount of damage in her first fight while on Earth.

A few more testing shots revealed there wasn't any difference really except for the colour. Clarke still felt irritated by her argument with Bellamy and she decided on a more taxing way to burn that energy off.

Clarke walked over to the river and placed her hand on the surface. She focused for a second before pulling away and the water seemed to defy gravity as a long, pillar of water extended from the surface as it stuck to her hand.

Clarke let go of the pillar and it still stayed up completely under her control. Clarke focused intention on the pillar and tried to remember the sword Anya had been using.

It was with deft movements of her hands and fingers that the pillar of water turned into a replica of Anya's sword – just made out of water. Clarke tried to use her matter conversion to turn it into an actual sword, but she was surprised when nothing happened.

She tried two more times and met the same results. It was in her third attempt that she froze it before trying again to change it's structure. This time the sword didn't repel her efforts and she was able to morph it into an actual sword.

The sword felt light in her hand as she waved it around and she studied the sword for abit before trying to mimick the graceful movements she had seen from Anya before.

It was easier said than done, however, as often her grip would slip or her slashes wouldn't be quite as straight or controlled as Anya's had been. It didn't take a genius to figure out that based on her skill in swords alone, Clarke would have died long ago.

Her frustration kept building and her cuts became less slick and more choppy and stiff. Clarke was about to throw the sword away in frustration when a voice spoke up startling Clarke slightly as she turned towards the source of it.

The Commander stood at the edge of the clearing her face surprisingly devoid of warpaint despite her being in full armour.

How long had she been there?

Clarke was so surprised by Lexa's sudden appearance she hadn't quite hear what had been said.

"What was that?"said Clarke as she turned to Lexa who didn't seemed bothered by Clarke's inattentiveness as she repeated her statement.

"Your grip is incorrect and far too tight,"said Lexa before she added,"You have limited control when holding it like that. "

Clarke sighed in frustration and said begrudgingly,"So how am I supposed to hold this?"

Lexa drew out her own sword and she twisted her arm around a few times to allow Clarke to get the full picture.

Clarke copied the grip Lexa had and she had to admit that the sword felt a lot more comfortable in hand as she practised a few swings.

Clarke was surprised when Lexa kept her sword out and said,"Follow my movements. I'll help you when you make a mistake."

Clarke rolled her eyes as at the insult and she felt motivated to prove the other woman wrong.

It's a shame it didn't quite go that way.

"Your footwork is not steady enough. You'd fall over if you tried to block a blow."

"Stop. Too slow. Any warrior could dodge that."

"Stop. Calm your breathing. Frustration is your enemy."

"Stop. That is even slower than before. A child could dodge that."

It went on like this for what felt like ages. Clarke got told to stop, got told what was wrong and then got insulted. It was as frustrating as it was helpful and after an hour or so, Clarke could honestly say she felt like she could swing a sword without cutting herself.

She could also say that she felt like cutting Lexa with the sword. The insults while not really harmful were also just dredging up the anger she had felt from her argument with Bellamy and as time went on her movements became less fluid as a result.

After getting told for the fifth time to adjust her grip , Clarke rose out of her stance and put the sword tip down into the ground.

"Is it really necessary to add an insult after every mistake I made, Commander?"said Clarke drily as she turned to Lexa. Clarke knew that she should probably check her tone, but her nightmare and run-in with Bellamy had left her fresh out of patience.

Lexa didn't answer her question as she instead pointed to the battered trees around her and said, "Was it really necessary to destroy all these trees, Skaiprisa?"

Clarke took a look at the damage she had done and true to Lexa's words there was immense damage to some of the trees that surrounded them. It was a small dent in the vast forest that surrounded them, but clearly Clarke's anger had gotten ahead of her.

Clarke sighed deeply before saying,"I'm sorry about that. It's just been a long day."

Lexa's gaze turned quizzical as she said,"You are aware that the day has only started, Skaiprisa."

Clarke nodded and said,"Yeah, I know. I woke up early and needed fresh air and had a bit of argument with a friend before coming here. Also call me Clarke. I've had enough of that nickname."

"Okay, Clarke,"said Lexa as she put her sword into it's sheath, "So you came here to work out your frustration? What was your argument about?"

Clarke debated keeping quiet, but she knew that it was unhealthy to bottle up her feelings and finally she spoke,"We had some disagreements about my actions at the Mountain. His sister is in there and he feels betrayed and believes that I left her in there to die. Leaving her in there was the best option because the Mountain Men would have grown suspicious of my friends if a couple of us had left and this way they at least have people strong enough to protect them."

"So your friend is upset that you didn't take his sister with you even though it would have put your friends in danger?"questioned Lexa and she received a nod as an answer.

"Amongst other things,"said Clarke as she sat down and picked up a rock and began to toy with it in her hand,"He kept complaining that I was making decisions that affected everyone despite not being the leader of my people. He's a close friend, but he doesn't understand. Everything I've done presses down on me heavily. In my sleep or when I'm awake, there is no escape. They're times I can't even stand the sight of my own face."

A hand in her shoulder drew Clarke's attention and she was surprised to see the Commander crouched down next to her," We are one and the same, Clarke. We never asked for our power, but had them thrust upon us. To be a leader is one of the hardest things ever. You have to sacrifice things that other people get to have."

"Things like what?"said Clarke as she stared at the serene surface of the water.

"We sacrifice our friends, family and our own happiness so others do not have to. We give all of ourselves"said Lexa resolutely and Clarke turned to the other woman in surprise,"That's the burden of leadership. "

"That sounds lonely, "said Clarke as she stared at the other woman who had also turned to her. They stated at each other for a few seconds before Lexa finally responded,"It is what it is."

The other woman turned away from Clarke and she squeezed her shoulder ever so slightly before rising to her feet. Clarke didn't move as her grip on the rock in her hand tightened.

"I didn't ask for this,"said Clarke finally as she felt the edges of the rock dig into her palm.

"The wise never do,"said Lexa before her eyes spied a flash of yellow light emanating from between Clarke's fingers.

She was surprised to see a ring with a radiant, green gem as it's crest in place of the rock Clarke had just been holding. A ring of that quality could only be made by the Rock Line Clan and even they were made few and far between.

Clarke didn't seem to notice her eyes on the ring as she pocketed it before rising to her feet. It was no moment too soon as Anya suddenly teleported into the clearing.

She seemed surprised at the sight of Clarke, but she turned to Lexa and bowed before saying,"Heda, you're needed at camp. It's the prisoner."

Clarke twitched at those words and she rose to her feet before she said,"Prisoner? Finn? What did he do?"

Anya hesitated for just a second before she said,"He's taken Abby kom Skaikru hostage."

Clarke was about to charge off, but she was stopped by a hand on her arm. She turned and was met with Lexa's gaze, "You can't charge into every problem. Some things require planning. Anya, how did he escape?"

"I'm not sure how he escaped, Heda,"said Anya as her brow furrowed, "Rylan managed to hit him with an arrow so his powers are still inactive, but he still managed to escape during the changeover period of the guards."

"I see,"said Lexa as she reached into the inside of her coat and pulled out a container filled with some sort of paste,"Am I correct to assume he wants me?"

Anya nodded before she turned to Clarke and said,"You too. He seems to hold some sort of distaste towards Clarke for apprehending him and he has expressed his desire to kill you both."

Lexa had begun to apply the paste on her face in the pattern of her warpaint. Lexa was done quickly and despite the lack of a mirror she had still applied it perfectly.

"Let's go,"said Lexa as she grabbed onto Anya's shoulder.

Clarke looked at Lexa as she tried to gauge the other woman's intentions and just as she was about to speak she was interrupted by Lexa who said,"I haven't forgotten, Clarke. The kill is yours."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Finn,"said Bellamy as he held his hands up slowly,"You don't want to do this."

"Yes, I do,"spat Finn as he adjusted his grip on his machine gun as he kept it aimed at the back of Abby's head,"That Tristan guy killed Fox and then he's just supposed to get away with it? Then Clarke jumps me while I'm at the dropship and hand delivers me here? I'm sorry Bellamy, but this is what I really want to do. I'll put a bullet into Clarke's skull then another into that stupid Commander and if anyone tries to stop me then your precious doctor gets it."

Bellamy sighed before he dropped his hands and backed off. There was a large circle of warriors and Guard around him as he stood just outside the gates of Camp Jaha and despite being tired from being tied up it appeared that he still had control over his powers.

A lone arrow had managed to graze him once he had come out the camp screaming his demands. His intangibility had kicked only after that and it was with some luck that due to his grip on Abby, the rain of bullets, spears and arrows that peppered his location went through him and by proxy Abby.

Bellamy walked towards the supposed second-in-command of the Army. The harsh paint around her eye made for a rather intimidating appearance, but he ignored it all as he said,"Indra, how did you let him go? We gave him to you and now he managed to escape. Is this some sort of plan to frame us?"

Indra looked at him with a displeased expression as she said,"Know your place, boy. The Commander distinctly said your people are not meant to be harmed and her word is law. I would not give any orders to disrupt the alliance. "

"If not you then who?"said Bellamy as he turned his gaze back on Finn who seemed to be scanning the area wildly for any sign of the Commander or Clarke. Abby was on her knees with her hands tied behind her back. She seemed remarkably composed even as Finn pressed the barrel of his gun to her head.

"Perhaps it was one of your own people,"said Indra as she looked at the gun in Finn's hands,"We do not use guns after all."

The anxiety and stress that the situation caused Bellamy to feel very nearly boiled over, but before he could take any action Anya finally appeared with Lexa just a couple metres away from Finn.

A smile crept it's way onto Finn's face as he took in the sight before him. He tightened his grip on his gun before he spoke,"Where's Clarke? If she doesn't get here soon, someone will have to clean up her mother's brain."

Lexa stepped forward and said,"Your quarrel is not with Clarke. I was the one who sent Tristan and Tristan did something to anger you so you killed him. Clarke was only looking out for her people and what she did was not personal. You are making this worse than it has to be. Leave Abby out of this. She has done nothing wrong."

"I know that,"said Finn as he looked down at Abby, "I didn't want to get her involved, but it was necessary. You sent Tristan and he killed the woman I love and then Clarke makes an alliance with you and hands me over to you. As if Fox dying meant nothing. As if I meant nothing."

"Look Finn, Clarke–"said Bellamy, but he was cut off by the sound of bullets as Finn fired a few shots upwards.

"If anyone gets closer,"Finn growled as he stared down everyone around them and he let the threat hang in the air which was dead silent.

"So you want to kill me?"said Lexa and she received a nod from Finn.

"Okay."

"Heda,"said Indra angrily,"You cannot–"

"Enough, Indra,"said Lexa,"This is not your concern."

Lexa began to walk forward, but she was stopped by Finn who said,"Lose the weapons. All of them."

Lexa paused for a second before she complied with the demand. She removed her swords from their sheaths and dropped them to the ground. Her knives were next to go and they all dropped to the ground one by one.

Soon, Lexa was unarmed and she said,"Is this adequate?"

Finn's brow was creased with suspicion and concern, but he nodded regardless and said,"Get closer."

Lexa kept walking and soon she stopped a few feet away from Finn, the muzzle of the gun pointed right at her head. She looked at Finn whose eyes were still rapidly shifting around him as if he expected an attack.

"You said you wanted revenge,"said Lexa and she stood tall despite the very real threat to her life.

"Take it."

The crowd voiced their dismay, but they were silenced by a hand from Lexa. Bellamy watched as Lexa lowered her hand before she stared Finn dead in the eyes as she spoke firmly.

"Kill me."

Finn seemed to recoil almost before his eyes hardened and he adjusted his grip on the gun before he pulled the trigger. Bellamy closed his eyes on reflex as the staccato of bullets being fired reverberated through the air.

The crowd let out shrieks of surprise and fear until finally the sound of the clicking of an empty gun drew his attention. Bellamy slowly opened his eyes and braced himself for the sight that awaited him.

However, what he had expected to see was not what awaited him as he took in the stunning aight before. The Commander still stood tall, clearly uninjured and unruffled, as if someone hadn't just tried to kill her.

Her hand was held out in front of her and Bellamy let out a gasp of surprise as he noticed another crucial detail. Suspended in the air barely inches away from Lexa's hand was a bullet that still had some smoke wafting off of it.

There were more bullets all pointing directly at Lexa and aimed at various parts of her body. There were all a different distance, but none were closer than the one that was just over an inch away from her eye.

Bellamy looked at Finn whose expression of shock seemed to be reflected in every person in the crowd. Even Abby who had been calm throughout the whole ordeal looked stunned by the turn of events.

Suddenly, the bullets fell to the ground and not even a second later the gun was pulled out of Finn's hand by some unseen force before it landed in Lexa's open hand. The Commander hadn't once turned away from Finn until now and she threw the gun to the side before she finally spoke.

"Anya."

The aforementioned woman disappeared from her position and reappeared beside Finn and Abby. Finn was so confused by the sudden reversal he wasn't able to stop Anya from grabbing onto Abby and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"You are not the first who has tried to kill me,"said Lexa as the wind began to pick up as it pushed her and Finn's hair to the side as it swept through the crowd,"You also won't be the last. I doubt that I'll remember your face by next week. You will die alone and soon be forgotten by all those that hold you dear. That is the fate that awaits you and anyone foolish enough to pursue my death."

Throughout her speech Lexa had begun to advance and Finn had begun to backtrack. Tears had begun to fall from the boy's face and Bellamy felt some sort of sympathy for him as his plan crumbled all around him.

Lexa halted her advance to the surprise of everyone and she looked at Finn and said,"You have no one to blame, but yourself for your fate. "

Finn –and the crowd– seemed confused by the statement by the Commander, but for seemingly no reason Finn let out a whine of pain as his torso was thrust forward. Blood began to spread out from his chest and it also seemed to be dripping from the aor directly in front of him.

Bellamy was confused until a sword appeared from thin air it's point having been driven through Finn from behind. Blood dripped from it's edge sluggish before it was pulled out from it's place in Finn's chest.

The boy fell backwards from the motion and Bellamy was horrified to see who was behind the killing of the younger boy.

"Clarke,"rasped Finn as blood began to leak from his mouth,"I f-forgot about you."

The blood covering the sword began to leak down onto Clarke's hands, but she didn't seem bothered as she said,"It didn't have to end this way, Finn. You still had Raven. She loves you, Finn."

Finn eyes began to fade as the flow of blood from his wound seemed to slow,"I always knew you were a monster, Princess. You're more of a monster than I thought. "

Clarke's didn't bat an eyelid at Finn's words as she said,"I am who I am."

That was the end of their conversation as Finn let out a sigh of relief before going completely still. Clarke was still holding onto the sword that had killed Finn, but she cast it to the side as she saw her mother standing with Anya.

Abby didn't seem to mind the blood thay covered her daughter's arms as she ran to her before enveloping her in a hug. They seemed to exchange heartfelt words, but Bellamy was too far away to discern what was being said exactly.

Lexa had begun to pick up her weapons, a task which many warriors rushed to aid her in. Once she had all her weapons in her body she turned to the crowd and said,"Warriors, we make way for TonDC. It is there where Skaikru and the Coalition will come up with our plan to destroy the Mountain. We leave in an hour!"

Her speech seemed to have drawn the attention of Clarke who disengaged from her mother before she walked over to Finn's corpse and she lifted him up into her arms.

Her wings spread out behind her and Clarke was soon flying off to the north. Abby seemed surprised by the turn of events and she turned towards Lexa who stared after the shrinking dot that was Clarke.

"Where has she gone?"said Abby before she hastily added,"Oh and thank you for saving me, Commander. "

Lexa stared at the sky for a few more seconds before she turned to Abby and said,"There's no reason to thank me. You were put in danger because of me and in any case the plan to save you was your daughter's not mine. You should thank your daughter when she returns."

Abby was surprised to heat that Clarke had been the mastermind of the plan as it meant that Clarke had decided to kill Finn all on her own. She wasn't quite sure how that made her feel, but she pushed it aside as she asked,"Returns from where? Do you know where she's gone? Isn't the Mountain in that direction?"

"She said that when they had gotten here, Finn and her had buried the first of their comrades to die and she said that he would have wanted be buried with them,"said Lexa before she went on to say,"I would not worry about the Mountain Men. Your daughter is strong. She can take care of herself. You should be proud."

The Commander walked off leaving Abby alone in a throng of activity and as she saw Kane and Jackson begin to make their way to her she pondered over what the Commander had said.

Abby did not feel proud of Clarke at all. She knew that the only reason her daughter had so much strength was not because of the nanobots nor any of Abby's teachings. It was Abby's actions from exposing Jake to sending the 100 down that had forced her daughter to mature and strengthen.

Abby was grateful that her daughter was strong, but her heart burned with shame and sorrow for one reason.

No one needed to be that strong.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I don't understand, "said Quint as he slammed his hand on the table before him,"The acid fog is no more. With the army of the Kongeda, the Mountain would fall within the day."

"I already told you,"said Kane his voice thick with frustration, "Their missiles are strong enough to kill us all once the see us coming. We won't even make it to their doors before we're all dead."

"If someone from Skaikru was able to stop one of their missiles then I'm sure we don't have anything to fear,"said Quint as he smiled almost mockingly at him,"I doubt you can handle a sword and now you think you know tactics?"

Clarke bit back a groan as Quint's mocking laugh followed his insult. The day had been a pure and utter waste. Various ideas had been shut down and Kane had essentially been bullied by the other generals.

Kane wasn't present as Chancellor, but as the head of the Guard which was in essence the equivalent ranking of the other people around the table. There were 12 –13 including Kane– generals who were seated around the table with Lexa on her throne presiding over the meeting.

Anya had explained to her that the Coalition was still in it's infancy and as such, integrating warriors during a combat situation wasn't exactly doable without having representatives from each clan.

The 12 generals were the ones who along with the Commander came up with battle plans and tactics. They were essentially the liaison between their nations and the Commander during war. During peacetime, there were ambassadors who served a similar role except they dealt with things other than war which as trades, land disputes and so on.

There were three ways in which someone was able to become a general. The first option was that the leaders of the clan sat in as general, but as far as Clarke knew Indra was the only clan leader present.

The second option was for a warrior to be hand picked by their leader to preside over matters in their stead temporarily. The only representative that matched this bracket was the Floukru representative who apparently had been chosen to lead in place of the clan leader of the Floukru who was meant to be here, but had some issues to work out.

Finally, the third option( and this was one category that the majority of the people at table fell under) was to undergo a trial to become one of the 12 generals of the Commander. The process wasn't clear, but considering that all of the generals were pretty much considered the strongest warriors of their clans (aside from their leader) it was probably not going to be a walk in the park.

"We still need to heal the reapers,"said Clarke from her position behind Kane and everyone looked at her in surprise.

"You are not a general, girl. You do not have the right to speak at this meeting,"said Quint his maroon warpaint prominent on his face,"Heda, as one of your loyal generals, I ask if you could show the Skaikru girl out. She clearly has no respect for our customs."

A few of the generals spoke up in seeming agreement and Clarke turned her gaze to Lexa whose eyes only briefly met hers before she responded to the generals at large.

"Em pleni!"said Lexa as she raised her hand before dropping it down,"Clarke may speak out of turn, but she speaks the truth. Skaikru claim to be able to revert Ripas back into their normal selves. We would disgrace our people – past and present – if we did not deal with this issue promptly. First, we cure the reapers and then the Mountain will fall. "

Quint and the rest of the other generals who had been opposed to Clarke's presence were silent after Lexa's recrimination. Lexa turned towards Indra who sat immediately to her right and said,"Indra, as the leader of Trikru, you have by far the most experience with the Ripas and Maunon. What would you suggest as our plan of action?"

Indra's face didn't waver from it's stoic expression, but her voice held just the slightest traces of anger as she said,"Whatever was done to the Ripas has tainted their minds. They behave like animals more than man. They hunt in packs and once they find a target, they will pursue it endlessly. If we can get enough runners to draw them out from their tunnels and corral them somewhere then we can capture them and cure them."

"Heda,"said Quint as he almost cut Indra off which drew a dirty look from the Trikru leader,"Skaikru claim they're capable of curing the Ripas and yet we have seen nothing to prove this. It would be a massive waste of time and resources if we went through the trouble of capturing the Ripas only for Skaikru to fail to cure them."

"Commander, I–"began Kane, but he was interrupted by Lexa who said,"Quint's point is fair. Skaikru will have to capture and cure a reaper to prove that it is possible. That's all for today. Dismissed."

The generals all rose as one and after bowing began to make their way out with their guards, but Clarke remained in her spot even as Kane left the room. Clarke made eye contact with Anya who was giving her a curious look as she trailed Indra as they made their way out.

Clarke met her gaze and simply pointed outside with her head signifying that they would speak later. Anya seemed to understand what Clarke was trying to convey and she nodded before leaving. Soon it was only Lexa and Clarke remaining in the tent.

"I assume you have something to discuss?"said Lexa and Clarke nodded as she moved to stand opposite Lexa as she sat in her throne.

"I want to become a general, "said Clarke firmly and she was gifted with the sight of Lexa's eyes widening which was the largest reaction anyone had gotten out of her since they had met in Camp Jaha's valley.

"Is Kane aware of your wish?"asked Lexa as she stared at the other woman,"Are you even aware of what needs to be done to become a general?"

Clarke shook her head,"No, he isn't aware and no I don't know what needs to be done, but it's something I have to do. The other generals don't respect Kane. They think he's weak and all of his suggestions were ignored by everyone. "

It went unspoken that Lexa was being lumped in with the other generals and their treatment of Kane.

"He is weak,"said Lexa,"He's wise and brave, but he is weak. My people are warriors. Fighters. Someone like Kane would not command a lot of respect from us. Especially in wartime. The process your people choose their leaders does not inspire me with confidence in him. Especially considering the fact that one of your former leaders killed thousands of your own people while the other is leading a charge through Sankru territory on a fool's quest."

The mention of Jaha and his quest to find the so called 'City of Light ' did not sit well with Clarke either and even though Abby and Kane had both tried to dissuade him from it, the man had seemed dead set on his quest. The reason for Wells' death had hit him hard and now that he was no more Chancellor it seemed as though Jaha was on some mission to redeem himself of his past crimes or die trying.

Literally.

"Who else is meant to lead?"said Clarke and the look Lexa gave her essentially told Clarke her answer,"Me? No thanks. The last thing I want is to be Chancellor. Kane is the best man for the job."

"I disagree,"said Lexa as she rose from her seat and began to make her way around the table,"You and Bellamy were the ones who kept the first of your people safe and delegated dutieswhen you first arrived. You were the one who had managed to befriend one of my generals. You killed over a hundred Reapers in a matters of seconds. You escaped from The Mountain with my mentor and not only did you turn of their own against them, but you also crippled their defenses and have a way to speak with your people inside. You stopped an invading force of 1000 warriors. You negotiated a more binding contract than your own leader with me and even now you make moves to cement your people's standing and safety

You've done more for your people than Kane has since landing. "

Clarke felt a mix of pride and embarrassment at the glowing praise Lexa was pouring on her. Clarke could see why lexa would think she would be a better leader, but that was the last thing she wanted. Lexa had rounded the table entirely and was now standing mere feet away from Clarke.

"I did what I had to do,"said Clarke as her mind rushed over all of the choices she had made and she found herself echoing her words at the river earlier in the day,"I never wanted this."

"Often,"said Lexa and from this close Clarke had no choice, but to give Lexa her undivided attention, "It's not about what we as leaders want, but what our people need. We sacrifice so our people do not. I've learnt this and so should you. You need to harden your heart and learn to ignore your own needs and wants so you can cater to those of your people."

A heavy silence fell over the two of them and it was with more than just a little sympathy that Clarke realised just how it was that Lexa had formed the Coalition. Putting her people's needs over her own at every stage. It sounded so noble, but in truth it was probably more lonely than anything else.

"Is that how you built the Coalition?"said Clarke finally and she began to fiddle with the radio in her pocket as she saw the question register with Lexa,"You sacrificed your own happiness for your people? That sounds...lonely. "

Lexa's eyes seemed to peer into Clarke's being before the intensity faded almost instantly, "It's a lesson I had to learn. Years ago, I had someone close to me. Her name was Costia."

Almost instantly, a heavy ball settled in Clarke's stomach. Her mind already racing ahead as she recalled the strange tension between Anya and Lexa. Anya confessing to losing Anya's trust.

"I had met her during my time in Polis. She was from Trikru just like me, but she wasn't a nightblood. She was just a tower servant when we met when I was 15. You see no one befriended the novitiates as all, but one of them would perish in the Conclave. People were not willing to acquaint themselves with someone who might be called to their death at anytime,"spoke Lexa and it was softer than Clarke had ever heard her speak. Lexa's eyes seemed thick with pain and anger and so many other emotions as they swirled for dominance in her eyes.

"We spent time together whenever my duties weren't distracting me,"continued Lexa without a trace of emotion in her voice,"It was never enough for either of us and it distracted me from the very real possibility of my death at The Conclave. As the years went by, I became stronger and so did our relationship. I had a very, real chance of winning the Conclave and we had begun to plan for when I became Commander. There were others in my class who could have stolen the mantle from me when I was younger. Fortunately for me, when Heda Ash kom Trikru had fallen in battle, I was one of the strongest in my class. I managed to win the Conclave for my people and for Costia and unlike what had been predicted, our relationship hadn't ended with my death in the Conclave."

Clarke felt her heart clench as she listened to the sad tale as she already knew how it was going to end. She kept quiet out of respect, however, and from the knowledge that venting was always therapeutic. It was humbling and yet puzzling that Lexa seemed to be willing to open up to her like this, but before she could ponder on it more, Lexa had begun to speak again.

" For the first few months, "began Lexa,"We could not have been closer. She was mine and I was hers. I knew she would be a target so I trained her and helped her discover her powers. However, the state of my people's affairs hadn't gone unnoticed. Azgeda were constantly at war with Trikru and there were countless other skirmishes between the clans at some point or another. It was this all encompassing conflict that had driven me to make the Coalition. It took years, but soon only Azgeda remained out of the Coalition. My relationship with Costia had suffered as she had been very opposed to it, but once I had convinced the Yujleda – the biggest enemy of Trikru apart from Azgeda – to join my Coalitionfirst after Floukru, she had begun to push me on. She pushed me on, but I wasn't blind to her dissatisfaction. I was constantly in battles or travelling to other nations and there were times we wouldn't see each other for months on end. In the end, she had given me a choice during our last time together. "

"What question?"asked Clarke, fully invested in the story.

"She asked me to run away with her,"said Lexa,"Some of those in the Coalition had begun to wage war amongst themselves and the Coalition was on the verge of collapse. The short period of peace was gone and war loomed over my people. I could not allow that to happen so I refused even though my heart yearned for me to say yes. I explained why and we had a fight – our biggest ever. I had to leave the next day for a war camp near the Azgeda border. I had charged Anya with her protection while I was away. There had been a delay on my way to the war camp and so I arrived four days late. I was greeted with a wooden box that had my name carved on it. Indra had been the one to find it and she had left it in my tent."

"Inside the box,"said Lexa,"was Costia's head. The symbol of Azgeda had been etched onto her cheeks and her eyeballs were missing. She had been killed only because she was mine and Azgeda were trying to find out my secrets for some edge in the war. That same day, Queen Nia's son had walked into our camp and he had announced Azgeda's surrender and desire to join the Coalition. My heart burned with the desire to kill Nia and all of her people, but I knew if I did that there would be no peace for my people. I allowed Azgeda into the Coalition and the other clans welcomed their addition before pledging their loyalty to me once more praising me as the greatest Heda they had seen. "

"If I had ran away with Costia, the Coalition would have never developed to it's current strength and thousands of people would have suffered for it. Nia would have kept fighting a war even though she knew she was out matched by the Coalition's army. She had probably expected me to kill her son, but I recognised the anger in my heart and the love that I had held for Costia for what it was,"said Lexa.

"Love is weakness. I could never allow myself to stray again and that is why I stand before you today as the greatest Commander my people have ever seen. I've put all of that behind me and focused on improving the lives of my people. This is the fate that awaits those who like you and me yearn for the safety of their people and there is nothing that even people as strong as is can do about it,"said Lexa before her eyes closed for a few seconds before snapping open again,"To be Commander is to be alone."

Lexa took a step back and she turned away from Clarke and the room was silent for a few seconds before Clarke spoke.

"You're lying,"said Clarke and to her credit she didn't flinch as Lexa turned towards her anger gleaming in her eyes,"You say love is weakness, but your love for Costia gave you strength during the Conclave."

Clarke took a step forward as her confidence grew and Lexa took one backwards as if to distance herself from Clarke's words.

"You say you only listen to your head, but only a leader who empathised and loved their people would sacrifice as much as you have,"continued Clarke and again her stepping forward resulted in Lexa stepping back.

"You say you're over Costia getting taken under Anya's watch and yet all these years later you still have massive tension between the two of you. Anya isn't even sure if you trust her anymore,"

Their dance continued as Lexa backed way from Clarke's words, but it grinned to a halt as Lexa hit a table behind her.

"I've had enough of people telling me what to do and what to think,"said Clarke as images of Bellamy, Darah, Dante and her mother floated through her mind,"I refuse to believe that someone as wise as you could be so obtuse as to believe your people's happiness is contingent on you giving up your own happiness."

Clarke finally stopped mere feet away from Lexa who seemed frozen still. Clarke reached into her pocket and grabbed onto Lexa's hands with her own,"You are not alone. We're working together to free our people. I've already sworn a blood oath to work with you, Heda Lexa kom Trikru, and I don't break my promises.You've done so much for your people, Lexa. Soon, you'll be the Heda that freed her people from the Mountain. Why can't you have your own happiness?"

Clarke stared directly into Lexa's eyes and she watched as green eyes flit all over her face before they stopped on Clarke's lips. Clarke shifted minutely as she took in the intense look in Lexa's eyes before they looked back up into her eyes.

However, before either of them could make a move the sound of the voice of one of Lexa's guards, Gustus if Clarke remembered correctly, drew their attention from the faraway entrance to the tent causing them to jump apart.

"Heda,"said Gustus his deep voice reverberating through the tent,"Indra requests an audience with you. Should I send him away?"

Lexa looked back at Clarke and turned back to the tent entrance and said,"Yes, send her in a minute."

There was silence once again, but it was different from before as the reality of what had almost happened registered within their minds. Clarke finally decided to break the silence as she said,"I guess I need to leave. I'm sure she has something important she wants to say."

Lexa nodded and she remained quiet for a few seconds before she said,"You're right about what you said earlier. It is easy to lose one's way when you carry the burdens I do."

"I understand, "said Clarke and she honestly felt like she did. The fact that she still couldn't wear her father's watch that had been recovered from the dropship was evidence enough of that in Clarke's eyes.

Clarke's eyes dropped to the blood red ruby on her hand and she paused for a second before pulling something out of her pocket.

She held her hand out to Lexa who opened her hand and Clarke placed the ring with the emerald she had made earlier in the day on Lexa's palm.

"I wear this,"said Clarke as she gestured to the ring in her finger ,"So that I remember the people who I've failed while I was in charge. It helps me to remember to do better and to not forget who I'm fighting for. You could use it to remember what we,uh , discussed today if you want. "

Clarke stumbled over her words, but it didn't seem to bother the other womanLexa's eyes seemed to take in every detail of the ring before she put it on her right middle finger.

"Thank you, Clarke,"said Lexa once the ring was in place,"Also, you can have your trial tomorrow morning. You have to speak with Kame beforehand, but he is wise enough to recognise that it is for the best."

Clarke nodded as she received the green light for the trial and she was about to leave, but she still had one more question.

"What is the trial anyways?"said Clarke her hand already halfway reaching for the flap.

"It's one designed to show that you have the necessary strength and intelligence to deserve a seat at the table,"said Lexa.

"You have to run a gauntlet and should you be successful you shall take Kane's place at the table,"

"A gauntlet?"said Clarke confusion prominent in her voice,"What do you mean?"

"You have to fight all of the generals that are opposed to you joining in a series of one-on-one fights,"said Lexa and her eyes seemed to waver before she said the words that caused worry to permeate throughout Clarke's very being.

"Since you aren't officially in the Coalition, if you fail ,"said Lexa and she paused before adding," Your people will be annexed by the clan that manages to defeat you."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**=**

**Trigedasleng:**

**Yujleda – Broadleaf**

**Floukru – Boat People**

**Mochof – Thank You**

**Trikru – Woods Clan**

**Heda – Commander**

**Skaiprisa – Sky Princess**

**Em pleni – Enough**

**=**

**Here's another chapter. We didn't get a look into the Mountain, but we got a very Clarke-centric chapter. I've added some meat to certain aspects to the lore such as Costia and the generals and of course the gauntlet.**

**Also, Lexa reveals one of her powers. For the longest of time, she was going to have magnetism and I hope that scene was as good as I felt it was.**

**I'm not the best at writing romance. Be gentle. I did my best and I think it turned out semi-decent.**

**As always, please review. I love your opinions and I do my best to answer all your questions.**

**Song rec:**

**Ed Sheeran ft. Justin Bieber – I Don't Care**


	13. Series

**15.5 words.**

**Please review.**

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"Are you sure?"said Raven as she looked at Maya. They were once again in the art storage room and they kept their senses on high alert in case someone came in,"A missile was launched at the survivors of the Ark? How did you even find this out?"

Maya nodded hastily and said,"A friend of my dad is one of Dante's most trusted bodyguards and he was with Dante in the command centre as they gave the order. Apparently, an army of land dwellers had formed around your camp and he deployed one of his men along with a drone to capture the coordinates of the site. "

Maya paused and Raven grabbed onto her shoulders abruptly, "What happened, Maya? This is important! Clarke could have been–"

Maya silenced Raven with a raised as she scanned the room for any sign of another presence. Both of their checks turned up blank and Raven muttered an apology which Maya waved off.

"Clarke was at the target zone,"said Maya, but before Raven could interrupt her she added,"She deflected the missile. Dante was furious. He almost ordered another strike, but Cage convinced him not to. "

"Is Cage someone we can get on our side?"asked Raven which drew a sharp shake of the head from Maya.

"Definitely not,"said Maya as a scowl grew on her face,"He said they should wait for the army to March on our gates before launching the rest of the missiles."

"So they're just going to wait for the army to come here?"said Raven before she punched the wall. The stone cracked and crumbled under the force of the punch and Maya quickly took Raven's hand in her own to assess the damage.

"Nothing's broken,"said Maya as she let go of the hand,"You shouldn't be so reckless. You need to be ready in case President Wallace decides to attack you guys."

"I know, "muttered Raven as she wailed dust of her knuckles,"This is just so frustrating. We can't even warn Clarke about the missiles because of the signal jamming. They'd be walking into a trap."

"I'm sure Clarke is smart enough to know that,"said Maya as she added,"The acid fog was just one of our defenses. There are many more that only Cage and Dante know about and unless we cripple at least some of those it won't be long before all of the Sky People in the cages are gone and after that..."

"It's our turn,"finished Raven. They weren't sure where the captured delinquents were all disappearing to, but while there had been roughly 40 at first that number went down to 20. The most recent disappearance was Mbege and it hurt Raven to know that her peers were getting killed right under her nose and yet none of the other delinquents wanted to buy into Clarke's suspicions.

Octavia was doing her best to drown herself in alcohol and Harper, Monroe and Miller were all too fascinated by the various facilities the Mountain had to be overly concerned about Clarke's disappearance. The only person who Raven trusted right now was Monty, but she hadn't quite been able to get him alone .

"Have you been able to get Jasper alone?"said Raven and her expression dropped at the decidedly sad look on Maya's face.

"If he wasn't so busy trying to console Octavia then I think I could have by now,"said Maya with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

The budding chemistry between Maya and Jasper had all, but evaporated when a drunk Octavia had given him a sloppy kiss during some sort of drinking game.

Jasper had been elated that his crush while true to Octavia's character these days she had forgotten all about her actions while in a stupor. While Raven had been able to make sure that no one took advantage of the younger girl by essentially moving her into Clarke's old room, that didn't stop the girl from making other mistakes.

She had apparently ruined a 600 year old painting while drunk which had not gone down with Dante. Admittedly, it had been rather funny if only because Dante had not been pleased with it and also because the sight of a passed out Octavia straddling the frame of a ruined painting was funny.

"There's plenty of stars in the sky,"said Raven at Maya's confused expression she added,"It's a saying back on the Ark. I'm sure there's someone out there for you. Maybe someone that doesn't wear goggles wherever he goes."

Maya smiled at the attempt at humour and she nearly laughed at the joke before her mind recalled the purpose of their meeting,"Raven, we need to figure out a way to signal to Clarke. My dad and I have begun to recruit those who oppose Dante, but we don't have a plan to separate them when the army comes."

"The army won't even come because of the missiles,"said Raven as she chewed her lip before realisation struck her,"I have a really bad idea."

"How bad is it?"

"Well on a scale of one to riding a dilapidated escape pod to Earth it's worse than you could imagine,"said Raven drily.

"But?"ventured Maya as she sensed there was more to it.

"But it'll be a sure fire way to get the army here safely and signal Clarke all at once,"said Raven finally.

"What's the problem then?"said Maya with a frown on her face.

"Two things," said Raven ,"One, I can't do it myself and two, I'll probably get killed whether or not I'm successful. "

Before Maya could respond, the sound of the door opening drew their attention. Raven's eyes began to emit a yellow light as she peered towards the source of the noose and she cursed softly.

"What did you see?" whispered Maya as Raven grabbed onto her arm.

"A rat,"said Raven as she began to pull Maya away,"Come on, he's gaining on us."

They weren't near any doors and as such Raven had to guide them through a labyrinth of aisles, sculptures and paintings to escape their tail. Eventually, they reached a passage with a door at the end of the passage, but before they could even get close Raven collapsed to the ground in sheer pain.

It was unlike anything she had ever felt and it permeated her very being. Every single inch of her body was in more pain than she ever thought was possible and just as she was about to pass out from the pain, it vanished just as quickly as it had appeared.

Raven opened her eyes and she laid still on the ground as she felt sweat pour from every pore on her body. The sound of heavy footsteps drew her attention and she heard Maya's shriek of terror before it was rudely cut off.

Raven felt a burst of adrenaline and she pushed herself to her feet before she pointed her hands at the guard who had caught them. Green balls of light formed in front of her palms and just as Raven was about to unleash her mind caught up with her body as it processed the scene in front of her.

Murphy held a struggling Maya within his grasp and his hand over her mouth. His other hand held a pistol which was currently held to Maya's temple.

"Okay, Reyes. If you want what's best for your pal over here,"said Murphy his face just the slightest bit nervous as his eyes pointed to Maya,"Drop your laser hands and listen up."

"You shoot her and I kill you, Murphy, "said Raven as she rose to one knee,"Let her go and I'll let you live."

To punctuate her statement, the balls of light on Raven's hand began to grow in intensity and soon the entire passage was bathed in pale green light. There was no fear visible on Murphy's face as he said,"Look we're at a stalemate. I won't bust you to that Cage bastard. Level with me here, Reyes. You have a plan to bust out of here don't you?"

Raven's voice had a confused lilt as she said,"Not exactly. Why do you even want out ? You seemed pretty happy to be a Guard. Why would you want out?"

Murphy scanned Raven's face before he sighed heavily and let Maya go. The girl practically scrambled away from Murphy before making her way behind Raven. Murphy slowly held up his gun before putting it back into his holster as a show of faith which Raven returned as she lowered her hands.

"I said what they wanted me to say,"said Murphy as he opened the top of his collared shirt. He pulled it open and smiled wryly at the confused looks on Maya and Raven's faces.

"What is that?"said Raven as she took in the sight of some sort of metallic device that was roughly two inches wide and seemed permanently attached to Murphy as it jutted out from his skin just above the collar bone. The skin around the device was red and irritated and there even some spider web patterns visible around it.

It was Maya's medical training that allowed her to identify the type of damage to Murphy's and she spoke from her position behind Raven,"That spider web patterning is consistent with exposure to high voltage electricity. "

Raven looked at Maya in surprise before she turned to Murphy, "That's a shock tag isn't it?"

"Almost correct,"muttered Murphy as he buttoned up his shirt,"It's a shock tag with a kill switch. The real version of my introduction here was getting tortured for information before getting poked and prodded by that crazy doctor. The bruises you guys saw..."

"They weren't from the Grounders, "said Raven softly as she felt sympathy for the boy,"Why not ask Clarke for help? She could have gotten that thing off of you."

Murphy nodded and said,"I know. I was going to ask her on the morning she escaped, but that bird didn't fly. I know you're planning something, Reyes and I want in. Dante actually thinks I'm loyal to him, but I've just been biding my time waiting for you guys to smell the Rose's before making my move."

"You're just going to offer your help?"said Raven guardedly,"Just like that? What's the catch?"

"There is no catch,"said Murphy before his hand clenched into a fist,"For you guys anyways. I've been forced to go on patrol after patrol for weeks just to act as a blood bag in case someone's suit gets ripped and anytime I refused they activated the shock tag until I learnt to just do what they asked me. All I want is for you to get this thing off me and I'll help you."

Raven looked back at Maya who nodded and said,"We need as much help as we can get. If he's as trusted as he says he is then he'd be a great help. "

Raven pondered Maya's words before she turned back to Murphy and said,"Fine, I'll get that thing off of you, but I've gotta warn you I'm no surgeon. "

Murphy smiled wryly and said,"Why do you think I waited for the both of you to sneak off? You were a zero-gravity mechanic and she's some sort of doctor. I think between the two of you, you could find a way to get this out without maiming or killing me."

"When do you want to do this?"said Raven and she was surprised to see Murphy remove a small rucksack from his bag. He threw it to Raven's feet and it landed with a metallic thud.

Raven knelt down to the ground as she opened the rucksack and she was surprised to find a variety of tools such as screwdrivers of varying sizes, pliers, tweezers and even a hammer. There were also medical supplies such as a few syringes of a clear substance and a scalpel.

"How did you get these? You should have been caught long ago, "said Maya as she peered over Raven's shoulder into the bag.

Murphy smiled drily and said,"You could say having sticky fingers. Now, are we gonna do this now or do you have somewhere important to be?"

Raven's eyes began to glow yellow and she scanned all around them before she shook her head,"There's too much foot traffic outside. If even one guy thinks about bringing his girl here for a sneaky kiss then we're screwed. We'll have to do this somewhere else."

"Look,"said Murphy urgently, "This is pretty much the only place that isn't monitored by these dirtbags. It's happening here and it's happening now."

Raven sighed at that piece of information and she had to wipe her palms onto her jeans as she felt sweat building up on them. She handed the medical supplies to Maya and she took out the other tools in the bag before meticulously laying them out.

"Okay, Maya give him one shot of morphine for now,"said Raven as she checked each tools,"This might sting a little bit."

Maya seemed to hesitate as she took in their surroundings ,"What if someone gets into here?"

Raven paused as she stopped scanning the tip of a small screwdriver. She looked up at Maya and said,"That depends. If it's a bunch of kids looking for a good time then I could probably knock them out. If it's a guard though..."

Here Raven paused as she took in the almost fully healed, but still prominent bruising on Murphy's body as he laid still on the ground

"I'll burn their face off."

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"You have to do what?"said Kane his eyes wide with shock as he looked at Clarke.

Night had fallen over TonDC and there was barely any noise coming from outside the room they were in. The village was said to be the second largest city in all of Trikru second only to Polis. The surrounding wildlife made it a perfect place for the army to rest as there was enough resources and shelter to go around for everyone.

The vast majority of the Coalition army, including the Guard, were posted in 13 different camps that surrounded the village entirely. The higher-ups such as Indra and Clarke were all given him accommodation inside the village proper.

"I have to beat their generals in a fight,"said Clarke patiently.

In truth, it was a ludicrous idea, but at this stage they would take too long to make a viable plan since everyone kept ignoring Kane's suggestions. The generals had no respect for Kane for one simple reason.

"You're not a fighter,"said Clarke as the man's eyes panned to her own,"The Grounders respect strength and despite being our leader..."

"They think I'm weak,"said Kane lowly and he ran his hands through his hands as Clarke nodded in confirmation.

"Yes. They do,"said Clarke before adding,"Lexa told me that between the actions of Diana and Jaha running around for some fabled city...the Grounders are sceptical of your ability to lead. "

"How do the actions of Thelonious and Diana have an impact on my ability to lead?"questioned Kane and it almost felt like a rhetorical question, but Clarke decided to answer anyways.

"They're different from us,"said Clarke as she thought of the Conclave, "They choose their leaders very differently. The people don't really have a choice in who leads them. Instead, it tends to be the one most capable in combat that will lead them. "

Kane nodded as he said,"They've probably never seen a system like ours before and none of our people are warriors. It's only natural they'd be sceptical of us. What is not understood is often shunned."

Clarke nodded and said,"That's why I need to do this. You have great ideas, but they won't listen to anything you have to say. We'd be lucky to even begin marching to the Mountain much less actually win with the amount of conflict amongst the generals. If I win then not only would someone with valuable knowledge on the Mountain be an active part of discussions, but it would serve as a warning for the other clans."

Kane nodded grimly at Clarke's words. In truth, a seed of doubt had worked it's way into his mind when he had heard of the deal between Lexa and Clarke. Despite his best efforts, he had been unable to pacify the Commander enough to call off the attack, but Clarke had done it on her own immediately after escaping from a hellhole.

It wasn't just Clarke, though. Bellamy was also an inspirational figure. The bravery he had shown in stopping the very first of the barrage of boulders had amazed Kane. The drive and passion that oozed off the man was a large part of why Kane had begun to suspect that it would soon be time for the old leaders to make way for the new.

This was just a lot sooner than expected.

"If you win,"said Kane suddenly, "What happens to my position? Would you be seen as the Chancellor? "

Clarke shook her head and said,"No. A leader of a clan can be a general, but a general isn't always the leader of a clan. Indra and the Floukru leader are the only leaders who are actually generals, however. "

"Why is that?"asked Kane out of curiousity. A general seems to hold a lot of power almost too much to not be in the hands of a leader.

"Generals answer to the Commander during war,"said Clarke as she remembered some more of what Lexa had told her after her meeting with Indra,"They are also expected to go into war with their nation's army. Apparently, the risk of losing their lives in battle is far too high for many of the leaders and so they choose to elect delegates that take their place. "

Another reason Clarke suspected there was a low amount of leaders as generals was due to the chance of treachery on the battlefield. It was likely that many nations wouldn't be above assassinating the leader of another clan during battle and so the leaders chose to have replaceable decoys represent them instead.

"Why can't I simply elect you to the position?"said Kane as he remembered a detail from the meeting, "Wasn't the Floukru general standing in for their leader?"

Clarke nodded and said,"Yes, but he was also the one that got slammed the most aside from you. The other generals don't seem to respect anyone's opinion unless they're another general or the Commander. We're not even in the Coalition yet so that's probably a big reason why Quint kept putting you down. We need to do this right and send a message that we won't allow ourselves to be walked over."

"Okay,"sighed Kane before addressing the most pressing matter,"I'll tell Lexa that you can fight. I'm sure that despite their dismissal of me the other generals are well aware of how much of a boon we could be. Do you think you can win? They stand to gain so much if you lose, Clarke. This is what they live for. I don't think they'll hold anything back. If you lose–"

"I won't, "said Clarke firmly as she interrupted Kane,"I have too many people counting on me to win and I'll do what I must to win. I won't hold back either. There is way too much at stake for me to hold back even a little."

The room fell silent after Clarke's proclamation and Clarke simply stared at the burning candles that provided light to the room. The flames grew rapidly in height and soon it was almost as if it was daytime in the room before Clarke ramped the flames down to their former level.

"I won't lose,"said Clarke as she began to make her way out the room,"I promise. "

"You should get some rest,"said Kane just as Clarke was about to leave,"You also need to tell Bellamy. I don't know what happened between you two, but you should try to resolve it before it gets worse."

Clarke paused at the man's words. Her hand clenched on the doorknob as she was reminded of the fallout between her and Bellamy.

"He doesn't understand, "said Clarke as she turned slightly towards Kane.

"Then make him,"said Kane as he sat down on his bed,"We're about to go to war. The last thing you would want is to have this conflict between you two before a fight. One of you could die in this fight. Life is too fickle to hold grudges. That's something the both of you would do well to learn."

Clarke remained silent as Kane's words sunk into her. The thought of anyone of her friends dying left a sick feeling within her. Clarke knew it would only be worse if she was on bad terms with them as well.

"You're right,"said Clarke finally, "I'll speak to him tomorrow. I think he's on guard duty for now."

Clarke nodded to Kane before she left his room for her own. The house Skaikru were allocated could house up to five people, but only Clarke and Kane had been given permission to sleep in the house. Clarke hadn't thought to light candles in any part of the other rooms and the house was bathed in shadows.

It was why Clarke was on edge when she detected movement behind the door. From the many documentaries her father loved to watch with her, Clarke had learned about the abilities of various animals. It was something she hadn't been able to do often, but was still something she cherished when she was able to reminisce of simpler times.

Clarke breathed out slowly as she cast aside all memories from the past except for the one she needed. A few seconds later, the pupil of her eye morphed into slits and her eyes changed into a cold, yellow colour.

The pit viper had the ability to see in infrared vision and with the cool temperature of the house it was easy for Clarke to view the heat signature of the person in her room through the walls.

The figure had rather broad shoulders and was tall enough for Clarke to immediately identify it as a man. Clarke wasn't sure if it was an ambush or something else, but she knew that she had to be prepared regardless.

Clarke slammed the door open and immediately fired a psionic blast at the figure. The purple ball of energy zoomed through the air, but it dissipated as it smashed into a barrier.

Clarke raised her hands and the temperature in the room was going to get a lot hotter, but Clarke paused in her actions as she heard a familiar voice.

"Calm down, Clarke,"said Bellamy his voice still coloured with surprise. Clarke allowed a flame to materialise on her hand and once her eyes changed to normal she was able to see his face.

"Can I sit down?"asked Bellamy as he gestured towards a chair in the room. Clarke nodded and she turned away from him as she began to light the candles in the room.

Once she was done she sat down on her bed and stared at the boy who had helped her with taking care of the delinquents. Clarke hadn't really had any friends other than Wells while on the Ark, but here on the ground she had found friends in a lot of the delinquents as well as Raven and Bellamy.

The last thing she wanted was to lose any of them.

"Why are you here?"asked Clarke as she looked at Bellamy whose eyes were seemingly lost in thought before they regained their focus as he looked at Clarke.

"I overheard Indra and Anya talking about you and some sort of challenge, "said Bellamy ,"What are you thinking? The Grounders are monsters. You have no chance –"

"I know exactly what I'm doing,"said Clarke as she interrupted Bellamy, "I'm the only one that knows the layout of the Mountain. Everything is all in my head. The location of every camera and sensor is stuck in my head and I can use this knowledge to save our people and the caged Grounders, but I can't do that if I'm only Kane's guard. The Grounders don't respect Kane and they don't respect us. I need to show them that we're here to stay and that we need to be taken seriously. "

Bellamy was silent for a few moments and Clarke could see her words being processed in the boy's mind before he spoke again,"So you beat the 12 generals and then what? Is that it? What happens if you lose?"

Clarke paused for a few seconds as she knew that an argument was likely to come.

"If I lose then Skaikru gets annexed by the clan of the general that manages to beat me,"said Clarke after a few seconds.

"What?"hissed Bellamy as he stood up from his seat,"Typical Clarke. Making decisions that affect everyone else. You're not Chancellor , princess. Why do you always make decisions for everyone else? First Octavia then Finn now this. You–"

Bellamy was cut off as a blast of energy shot right past his face. It slammed into the wall and tremors were sent shaking throughout the room. He turned back to Clarke to see her standing with her palm pointed at him.

"I've already said why I'm doing this,"said Clarke coldly, "You and I both know this is necessary. I know what's at stake. I always do. I didn't want to kill Finn, but what I did saved him from torture. You and I both know that. I knew what was at stake leaving the delinquents in Mount Weather which is why I activated all of their powers so they could defend themselves better. Leaders have to make sacrifices. If you hate me for the choices I make then so be it. I couldn't stage an escape from the Mountain and smuggle out Octavia. "

Clarke sat down again suddenly the tension in her body dissipating as quickly as it had appeared. She took a few calming breaths before she continued to speak.

"All of the delinquents think I'm some sort of monster, "said Clarke her eyes shut tightly, "You weren't there for it, but the looks they gave me after I killed the reapers...They looked at me like I was some sort of monster. None of them wanted anything to do with me once we in there. They didn't care that we got abducted. All they cared about was eating cake and drinking and partying. The Mountain Men lied and said you were dead which was something Murphy 'confirmed '."

"Murphy was in the Mountain?"said Bellamy his brow creased with confusion, "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"This is the longest conversation we've had since I got out,"said Clarke and she held up her hands to quell any potential rebuttals from Bellamy, "That's why I'm here. We shouldn't be fighting. We're about to go to war, Bellamy. If we're too busy fighting each other then it'll be easy for the Mountain Men to pick us off."

Bellamy was silent and Clarke watched as a storm of emotions passed over his face until he sighed heavily, "You're right. We need to be civil with each other at the very least. I understand why you left Octavia, Clarke. I really do, but in the end she's my sister. For all I know she could already be dead and I'm miles away in some village. This could all be for nothing, Clarke. Nothing."

"I know you're scared,"said Clarke as she placed a hand on Bellamy's shoulder,"And angry and tired. I am too, but we need to keep going. Beating the Mountain isn't just about us. They've already killed some of our people and hundreds if not thousands more of the Grounders. This fight is bigger than us and that's why I had to leave the delinquents in there. We won't win this without making sacrifices."

Bellamy was quiet after Clarke's speech and there was silence in the room for a few moments before a heavy sigh from Bellamy broke it.

"You're right,"said Bellamy and his face twisted in confusion slightly before he composed his expression and continued,"If we don't beat them while they're still trapped in there then they'll wipe us all out once they get out. I'm still mad at you for leaving Octavia, but I understand why you did it. We should just move past this and make those bastards pay."

Bellamy's words were filled with conviction and a quiet certainty. It was now more than ever where Clarke could see the leadership abilities within Bellamy that Kane had pointed out. Truth be told, he had always had the charisma to sway people to his cause, but that was another time. Now in a matter of weeks, Bellamy was not the selfish and reckless person she had first known him to be.

Clarke pulled Bellamy into a hug and he seemed surprised by the motion before he reciprocated the motion. Clarke took a step back and said,"You shouldn't worry about her too much. Octavia will be safe. She is a lot stronger than you give them credit for."

Bellamy only nodded silently. There was still undoubtedly some tension between them, but Clarke felt as though they had taken a step in the right direction.

Bellamy walked towards the door and said,"You should go to sleep. Something tells me you'll need the energy tomorrow. "

Clarke smiled a little and she was about to do just that when Bellamy turned back towards her.

"What are you gonna wear during your fight?"said Bellamy and Clarke shrugged in response. The clothing Anya had given her had been soaked in Finn's blood and she had worn it only until after her conversation with Lexa. Her mom had given other clothes to wear which Clarke had been all too happy to wear.

"I have no idea,"said Clarke, but there was something in Bellamy's face that piqued her interest.

"But something tells me you do."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Skaikru and Kongeda,"said Lexa as she stood in the centre of a large gathering of warriors,"Klark kom Skaikru has petitioned to become a general. As you know anyone that wishes to become a general has to have the blessing of their clan leader. Markos kom Skaikru, do you allow Klark to take the challenge?"

"Sha, Heda,"said Kane and his voice was clear and confident,"She has my full support and blessing."

"Thank you, Markos,"said Lexa to Kane before addressing the crowd as a whole,"Due to Skaikru not being a part of the Coalition there will be differences between this challenge and those that have come before it."

There were murmurs and whispers prevalent across the gathered people and even the twelve generals who were lined up behind Lexa had varying expressions ranging from surprise to excitement to neutrality. It was a clear indicator that the news of the Challenge hadn't been told to anyone before this moment.

"First of all,"said Lexa,"Klark will have to beat all of the generals in a series of one-on-one fights. A gauntlet consisting of 12 fights. Should she succeed in her task then she shall be inaugurated as the thirteenth general and Skaikru will undergo the ceremony to join the Coalition tonight after a feast."

There was a large swell of noise as the sheer insanity of the gauntlet's stipulations caused everyone to begin conversations with the people adjacent to them. The reactions of the generals were identical to that of the crowds and even as she stood in the centre of all the noise Lexa was still able to hear the shocked voices of her generals as they conversed furiously with each other.

The noise ground to a halt as Lexa raised her hand. She waited for perfect silence to fall over the large field they were in. The chances of the Maunon sending a missile was rather small considering how easily their first one had been deflected. They surely knew that they would be on guard and better prepared to deflect another one. It was why Lexa wasn't particularly concerned with the Maunon and instead was more concerned with the upcoming gauntlet.

"There is one last rule,"said Lexa once she was sure she had everyone's attention, "Should any general manage to best Clarke then Skaikru and all it's people and resources will be annexed by the winning general and Skaikru will simply be absorbed into one of the current clans. All of those who are skilled in earth moving are to build an arena for the Challenge in this field. It must be done by noon at the very latest. Dismissed."

Clarke watched from the edges of the crowd as Lexa finished her speech. For a change there was pure silence as she stated the final stipulation and the Crowd parted quietly as Lexa began to walk back towards camp. The generals all followed her silently and Clarke smiled wryly as she saw the Floukru general begin a rather animated conversation with the Commander.

Clarke was not visible thanks to the power she had taken and then returned to Octavia. It was something she was keeping to herself for now as she had had her suspicions that much in the same way she could steal powers from someone she could bestow new ones upon them too.

It wasn't something she would reveal because that would surely make the warriors fight thrice as hard to get her under their command. It was likely that despite her having shown to be capable of deflecting the missile and stopping the army's charge there would still be those who underestimated her.

However, she knew that the illusion of her being weak would likely fade away after a few fights and then the real battle would commence.

That was if she was lucky enough that the generals of the twelve clans were stupid enough to underestimate her. After all, they probably thought that Lexa wouldn't allow someone weak to take the Challenge.

Clarke turned her attention back to the crowd as the noise around her rose–an event which coincided with Lexa and her generals emerging from the edge of the crowd. The crowd waited a few more moments for Lexa to make some distance between her and then before they began to walk back to the village.

Clarke walked as quickly as she could manage all while avoiding contact with the few people around her. Even as she focused on getting back to camp, however, she was able to hear the exclamations of the warriors around her.

"The Skai girl will get herself killed within the first fight. She hasn't even fought a war. I'm sure Azgeda will win. Azgeda is the strongest of all clans. Their general is also a–"

The large man with grotesque facial scars that had been talking animatedly to his comrade next to him was suddenly drowned out by the voice of another man a lot closer to Clarke – this time of a different clan.

"Sagan may not be the strongest of the generals, but he is one of the smartest. Trishanakru stand a chance so long as we're lucky enough to go before the stronger clans, but after the weaker ones. Even if this girl is strong she can't beat all of them!"

"Indra will win this. Trikru is the strongest of all clans and Indra is the strongest of all generals. Once they are integrated with Trikru I hope my parents will allow me to pursue one of the Skaikru. There is something that makes their people very attractive. Maybe living in the stars made them all beautiful. "

The last one actually made Clarke roll her eyes and a sardonic smile grew on her face as a teen a few years younger than her spoke with his friends. They were young and their conversation would make them think they were just ordinary teenagers of it wasn't for the swords and knives strapped across their body.

Clarke finally drowned out the various conversations which were all about how this general was the best or how that clan was the strongest. They all differed in tone, seriousness and volume, but there was only one constant throughout all of them.

Skaikru would be annexed before the evening.

There was even a man who joked that the generals should throw their fight so that there could be a feast like the one at Camp Jaha again.

Clarke was lost in her thoughts as she made it back into the village ahead of the majority of the crowd and yet even from this distance she could feel the tremors through the Earth as an arena was being prepared for the gauntlet.

Clarke had seen well over a hundred people remain behind and that was perhaps the first confirmation she had had that duplicate powers was not only possible, but also common amongst the Grounders.

Her fingers began to twitch slightly at the thought that the generals were either skilled in a common power or they had an esoteric power unlike anything Clarke could have imagined or had encountered.

Clarke put the thoughts of the generals powers out of her mind for now as she walked into the house she and Kane were living in. The house was silent and Clarke was certain that no one else was inside. She made her way into her room and sat down as despite her best efforts the gauntlet loomed over her like a storm cloud.

Clarke took a look at the clothes she was wearing which was the same as yesterday. Simple tracksuit pants and a leather jacket on the top. The ruby of her ring glowed as sunlight passed through it and Clarke stared at it for a few seconds before taking it off.

The sound of a knock at her door drew her attention and as she opened it she was surprised to see Anya accompanied by Tris as they made their way into the room. Tris was carrying a bag over her shoulder and she dropped it to the ground and it landed with a clang.

"Hey Tris. Have you heard anything from Raven yet?"asked Clarke and Tris pulled out a radio and shook her head.

"I kept it on the same 'channel'"said Tris putting emphasis on the last word,"However, there hasn't been any sounds. I gave the other radio that is on the same channel as the Maunon to Belomi, but they haven't said anything about the army since the missile was launched."

Clarke nodded at the news and she was still worried for the delinquents in the Mountain. Clarke had a radio herself, but she had given one to Tris and another to Abby just in case she missed anything. Bellamy having a radio would make sense since he would be able to make a lot of sense of the Maunon's conversation being more well versed in technology than Tris.

"Tris,"said Anya and the girl turned to her first rapidly, "Go and watch the progress of the arena. Come and tell us when you're done."

The girl left the room after a quick nod and smile to Anya and Clarke respectively. The door slammed shut behind her and Anya let loose a sigh as she said,"Should I be concerned that my second likes you more than me?"

"I've seen how you train,"said Clarke with a small smile on her face,"if it's anything similar to that then I don't see why you're confused."

Anya smiled at Clarke in return for a fre seconds before it dropped off her face as she picked up the bag on the floor,"In here are throwing knives and stars, daggers and plates for your armour. Where's your armour? I can sew these on for you now."

Clarke placed her hand on Anya's shoulder and said,"Thanks for the weapons, but you don't need to worry about the armour. Bellamy and I came up with a plan for that."

Anya nodded reluctantly and her face changed ever so slightly as she said,"What is he to you?"

Clarke was confused by the rather personal question, but upon seeing Anya's stern face she answered honestly, "We're friends. Good friends, but there isn't anything more between us. I'm pretty sure he feels the same."

Anya nodded and she closed her eyes upon receiving this answer. Anya seemed to take in a deep breath and she exhaled loudly a few seconds later.

"You're most likely to fight Trent first,"said Anya,"He's the representative of Floukru. He can only–"

"I don't think you should be telling me this, Anya,"said Clarke as she raised her hand," Have faith in me, Anya. I can do this."

Anya was silent for a few seconds before she said,"Either way, if you win or lose this gauntlet I'll have to train you. The Commander told me of your dreadful skill with the sword. It wouldn't do for a general to not be able to wield the sword."

"I already beat you in a fight, Anya,"said Clarke and she smiled when Anya snorted.

"Pure luck."

Clarke laughed for a few seconds and for a few seconds she was able to forget that she had a fight soon. Of course, there was still one topic that still needed to be covered.

"What happens if they see my blood?"asked Clarke and Anya lost all traces of mirth as she said immediately, "There are other nightbloods, but if you lose it's likely that you'd be expected to join the class of noviatiates. Lexa hasn't been as cruel as other Commanders when it comes to killing other nightbloods. It's something that some of the clans are grateful for since natblida are usually the strongest and the most gifted. There are, however, those that believe all adult natblida should be killed. You have no choice, but to win Clarke."

Clarke knew Anya was right and the ball of anxiety in her chest began to grow as the stakes of what she was doing really sunk in. Anya seemed to notice her discomfort as she reached into her pouch and held out a small jar.

It contained a black, chalky paste that Clarke realised was what all Trikru used for warpaint. Clarke took the jar and she looked at it in confusion.

"Use that to cover your face,"said Anya as her eyes panned to the door before turning back to Clarke,"All warriors wear warpaint. "

There was a knock on the door before it opened to reveal Tris who simply nodded at the two women.

"Stay strong, Clarke,"said Anya and she gave a noncommittal nod before she placed her hand on Tris and they teleported away leaving Clarke alone.

Clarke stared at the jar for a few seconds before her hand began to glow yellow as she began to change the colour of her choice. Once it was done she began to strap on some of the weapons Anya had given her.

It was perhaps only a few seconds after she strapped in the last knife she needed that the sound of a horn emanated from outside the house and Clarke took one last deep breath before leaving the house under her invisibility cloak.

It was time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was an actual arena.

The hundreds of workers had somehow collectively managed to make an arena not unlike those seen in those Roman movies Clarke had seen on the Ark. It was even lined with 13 archways all with flags above them and Clarke saw one with the flag of the Ark.

That was probably her destination.

She was perched on the very top of the colosseum still invisible and she watched as the seats were filled up slowly. There was a perfectly rectangular field right in the middle. It was raised roughly ten metres off the ground and had stairways that lined up with the 13 archways.

It took only a few more minutes for the arena to fill up before Clarke decided to fly across to her archway. No one was aware that she was right above their heads as she flew all the way to the Skaikru archway before walking inside.

The room had a door at the back that nust have led into other parts of the arena and it made Clarke wonder just how it was that the Grounders had built such a complex structure so quickly. There was armour in there that Clarke realised must have been provided for her, but she ignored it in favour of the mirror. She stopped in front of it and opened the jar of paint.

The paint felt cool to the touch and Clarke dipped her fingers in it before spreading it around the contours of her eyes and over her left eyelid. She did the same to her right eye before she connected the two circles with a band of paint over the bridge of her nose. She still had some paint left over and she used to make an inverted triangle on either cheek.

It was perhaps seconds after she was done that she turned towards the archway and she saw Lexa standing there.

Lexa stared at Clarke's rather casual clothes, but she didn't say in response. Instead she looked at Clarke's face and this time she did speak.

"Purple?"said Lexa and there was a hint of surprise in her tone,"I assumed you would have used another colour."

"It's one of the only ones not taken by the clans,"said Clarke in response which received a nod from Lexa who eyes seemed to bore into Clarke. Her warpaint making them more prominent than usual.

"Why areyou not in the armour? You will get hurt,"inquired Lexa as she again looked at Clarke's casual clothing and Clarke shrugged in response as she said,"Bellamy came up with a better idea for my entrance so to speak."

Lexa's eyes snapped back to Clarke's own and Clarke almost took a step back from the intensity in them.

"Is he special to you?"said Lexa as she walked behind Clarke and Clarke tensed slightly before she felt Lexa's hands begin to go through her hair.

It was a question that she had already had to answer to Anya, but the tone of Lexa's was decidedly different from Anya's.

"Yes,"said Clarke and she realised that Lexa was pulling her hair into a ponytail,"But not in the way you think. We're just friends. "

Lexa didn't respond, but Clarke felt as though the tension in the room had dissipated after her words. Lexa stepped away from Clarke and so Clarke was free to look in the mirror. The ponytail was rather simple, but effective as it kept Clarke's face free of her while also prominently displaying her warpaint.

"Braiding would have taken a lot longer,"said Lexa once Clarke was done analysing her new hairstyle, "When you win we can do whatever style you wish."

"When I win?"said Clarke surprise colouring her tone as she looked at Lexa who nodded resolutely.

"Yes,"said Lexa as she began to walk out, but she paused at the door and looked back at Clarke over her shoulder," The horn you shall hear will be your summons to the arena. The other generals will be in the box with me before their own fight. It would do you well to hide your true strength for as long as possible. "

Clarke nodded and said,"I already know that. I'm not some weak girl."

Lexa turned back fully and Clarke was able to see the storm of emotions that passed through Lexa's usually cold expression.

"No you aren't, "said Lexa before she turned away and a second later Clarke was all alone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A horn sounded out. It had a deep and rich timbre and it's sound seemed to bring the crowd outside to life.

Clarke could feel the stomping and cheering of the crowd as the noise made it's way through the foundations of the arena.

Clarke took one last look in the mirror before she began to walk out the room. The second she stepped outside into the field proper she was hit with a sensory overload.

The heat and brightness of the midday sun and the sheer volume of the crowd all slammed into her at once. She recovered quickly though and she began to ascend the stairs leading to the top of the arena.

She reached the top and directly opposite her she saw the box that Lexa was in. The generals seated with her and they all watched as Clarke came to a stop at the top of the stairs. They seemed to eye her clothes with disdain and surprise as they spoke amongst themselves.

There were two flames burning on a metallic stand in front of Lexa and Clarke wondered what their purpose was. She ignored them for the moment as Lexa stood up from her throne.

A horn was blown from somewhere and it's deep tone silenced the crowd immediately as Lexa spoke loud enough for everyone to hear,"The rules are simple. If one is knocked off the platform, knocked out or unable to battle they lose. To ensure fairness, Clarke will choose the order in which she shall fight."

Clarke was glad to hear that she at least had some control over the process and she already began to scan the general trying to suss out who would be the best person to pick.

"I shall be the referee,"said Lexa and she gestured to the two stands in front of her,"If the flames on my left turn green then it is a win for Clarke and if the flames on my right turn green then it is a loss for Clarke and winner for whichever general bested her. Clarke, who is your first opponent? "

Clarke scanned the faces of the generals and they ranged from the stoic expression of Indra to the excited expression of the Azgeda general whose white paint and facial scars were easy for Clarke to identify.

"I choose the general of the Trishana,"said Clarke as her eyes locked onto the form of a young man with reddish hair,"Sagan."

The man rose without much fuss and there was even raucous laughter from some of the more boisterous generals as the man made his way to the bottom. It took perhaps only thirty seconds for him to appear at the top of his staircase and his orange face paint was prominent as he withdrew his sword.

Lexa raised her hand, but before she could lower it Clarke enacted Bellamy's plan. The crowd grew silent as Clarke was enveloped in bright, yellow light for a few seconds and Clarke could hear exclamations of shock and surprise at the unexpected turn of events.

The light died down to reveal Clarke wearing clothes similar to that of the Trikru except that the leather that was usually black was now a deep red and the metal plates over her chest, shoulders as well as her forearms and shins were a gold that had a dull finish.

Clarke looked back up at Lexa who still had her arm raised and she made eye contact with the Commander who seemed shell shocked for a few seconds before she brought her arm down.

Immediately, a horn echoed out before the sound of war drums began to echo out throughout the arena and cheers began to erupt from the crowd. In a quick motion, Clarke withdrew a knife from her side and threw it at Sagan.

The knife whistled through the air and Clarke knew it was on a direct course to his abdomen. The power of perfect marksmanship she had activated in the Mountain ensured that.

It was why Clarke was surprised when it bounced off the air in front of him and fell to the ground. Clarke narrowed her eyes before she broke off into a sprint towards Sagan.

There was a loud crack in the air as Clarke full tilt at Sagan before she lashed out with a kick to his abdomen. She connected and the man was sent tumbling head over heels across the stage before he fell over the edge.

Clarke looked expectantly towards the flames and when hers didn't go green she was about to protest when she felt her body launch into a series of back flips.

!*

Clarke went back and back until she stopped a few feet away from the edge. They were still a few arrows approaching her and Clarke held up both her hands before spinning on the spot instantly.

Dust was kicked up around Clarke as violent winds spun around her. The remaining arrows were all deflected one by one until none remained. Clarke spun to a stop and as she traced the arrows to their source she was surprised by what she found.

Sagan was knelt on one knee with a bow and arrow in his hand. The quiver on his back was empty, but all of that was irrelevant as she processed the last detail.

Sagan was standing on air.

The man launched his last arrow at Clarke, but she picked it out the air and snapped it in half. She raised her hands and fired two psionic blasts at him. It was rather confusing to watch as the man ran on the air and nimbly avoided the blasts.

Clarke fired a few more shots and they were all dodged. Sagan kept running on the air and jumping to higher and lower heights to avoid the blasts. Luckily, the battlefield was a lot lower than the stands and so Clarke didn't have to worry about a crowd member getting caught in the crossfire.

After a few more missed shots, Clarke realised that she was wasting time and she had to end this now. Her hands glowed a deep purple as Clarke focused on Sagan as he finally slowed to a stop, his chest heaving slightly, and the light that was emanating from her eyes surged in intensity as she raised her hands above her head.

A purple haze surrounded Sagan's airborne body as he was suspended in the air. The crowd was in an uproar as the acrobatic and careful maneuvers of the Trishana general was brought to a halt.

Clarke held her pose for a few seconds before she brought her hands down quickly. Sagan accelerated straight down towards the ground at an angle. He shot straight over Clarke's shoulder and she turned with him to watch as he flew towards the ground before colliding with a fairly loud boom.

There was a rush of healers from one of the archways and they ran towards the general who despite looking rather beat up was still visibly breathing and unconscious. The group of medics knelt around the man and their held their hands out in sync as they focused on healing separate parts of Sagan's battered and bruised body.

The crowd roared it's approval as the flame representing Clarke turned a bright green. Clarke turned back to the Commander's box and she scanned the generals before she pointed at the next general.

The Floukru representative, Trent, rose from his seat before disappearing from sight. Clarke simply stood patiently as she waited for the man to appear from his doorway. A section of the crowd seemed to cheer and Clarke turned in their direction to see Trent walking up the last few steps.

This time Clarke didn't spare a glance towards any of the audience and she instead stared across at Trent. The oceanic blue paint on his face was in a design that Clarke would have found elegant and admired if it weren't for the situation they were in.

Trent nodded at Clarke and she returned before she watched as the man withdrew his sword. Clarke placed a hand on the hilt of her dagger at her hip and she waited.

The sound of the horn reverberated through the air and Clarke ran full speed at Trent in a similar manner to her previous fight. This time however she simply disarmed him and threw his sword far over the edge of the stage.

He seemed to be moving extremely slowly from Clarke's point of view and so it was child's play for her to sweep his legs out and climb atop him. She placed his dagger at his throat and said firmly,"Submit."

The entire sequence of events had taken just under two seconds.

There was pure silence in the arena and Clarke was able to hear the sound of Trent's sword finally hitting the ground far below the platform. A flash of green drew her attention and Clarke turned towards Lexa to see her flame glowing a bright green.

She rose to her feet and held out a hand which Trent took before he left the arena rather quickly amidst jeers from the crowd. In truth, Clarke had picked him out precisely because she suspected he wasn't all too strong simply being a stand-in for the actual Floukru general and leader.

Two down, ten to go.

Clarke turned towards the Commander's box and within a few seconds she knew who her next choice was going to be. She didn't know the general's name however and Lexa seemed to notice this as she waited for Clarke to point at her next opponent.

"Klark has chosen Erika kom Ouskejonkru,"said Lexa and the woman rose to her feet nimbly before walking out of the box.

Once Erica had appeared at the top of the stairs, Clarke took in the deep blue facepaint that contrasted rather sharply with Erica's beige skin as it traversed her face in a series of vertical lines. Her hair was in a tight bun and Clarke noted with some interest that there was a large amount of throwing knives strapped onto the other woman's army.

The woman smiled at Clarke a gesture which Clarke did not return. Erica rolled her eyes dramatically before she withdrew one of her many knives as she stared at Clarke.

The start of the fight began as the horn sounded out and the noise of the crowd and the drums melted into one mess as Clarke grabbed a throwing knife of her own.

Erica had already been in the middle of throwing her knife and by the time Clarke had removed a knife of her own, Erica's knife was already heading right at her. Clarke halted her throw and instead tilted her head to the right and she tracked the path of the knife as it flew over her shoulder out of sight.

!*

The familiar sensation of Instinct taking control over her body rose up within Clarke. She was practically a passenger as her body spun on the spot before catching Erica's wrist.

The general had somehow gotten in behind Clarke and judging by the gleaming dagger in her hand Clarke had been only moments away from getting run through.

Erica's face seemed shocked before she turned her eyes to Clarke and said while smiling,"Do you have eyes at the back of your head?"

Clarke ignored the question and she spun on the spot before throwing Erica away in the opposite direction. Erica's dagger fell to the ground and Clarke watched as the general of the Ouskejon began to accelerate towards the wall of the arena.

It wasn't meant to be however.

In a blink of an eye, Erica's body was replaced with a dagger that slammed into the wall hard. At the same time, Clarke heard something behind her and she jumped off the ground quickly. An action which put considerable distance between Clarke and Erica who had reappeared behind Clarke.

Clarke quickly looked down to Erica's feet and she wasn't surprised to find that the dagger that was previously there was nowhere to be seen.

Erica seemed to notice the gears spinning in Clarke's head as she withdrew even more of her knives and threw them all towards Clarke.

Clarke tracked each knife as they approached her and she raised her left hand with all fingers splayed. A purple wall formed in front of Clarke and all of the knives collided with the psionic barrier before collapsing to the ground.

Clarke was about to blow the knives away as she allowed her psionic wall to drop, but it was mere moments after she had dropped the wall that Erica appeared out of thin air her sword already swiping through the air.

Clarke took a step back as the sword whizzed just past her nose. Erica began to push forward as Clarke was kept off-balance and on the back foot as she advanced with a series of slashes.

Clarke wasn't quickly growing nervous as she wasn't given enough time to properly counteract. She kne she was approaching the edge and it was only the glint of her forearm guards that gave her a glimmer of hope.

Erica seemed none the wiser to Clarke's plan as they reached the edge of the platform. Clarke's heel hung slightly over the edge and Erica's eyes gleamed as she lashed out with an overhead strike.

Clarke crossed her arms in front of her and a loud ringing sound echoed out as Erica's sword was caught in between her forearms. The strike was heavy, but Clarke stood firm before she snapped her arms close.

The sword snapped cleanly in half under Clarke's strength and Clarke grabbed onto Erica's wrist. Erica tried to lash out with a kick, but before it could connect her body began to shake and convulse as a loud buzzing sound echoed through the arena.

Erica's body suddenly became rigid and Clarke stopped the flow of electricity as she realised Erica had fallen unconscious. This time Clarke was opposite Lexa's box and she was able to watch as an attendant threw a lead into her flame.

The familiar green flame burst into existence and Clarke let out a sigh of relief. She looked behind her and took a few steps forward away from the edge. Erica had regained consciousness in the meanwhile and she let out a groan before rising to her feet.

"Good fight,"mumbled Erica as she trudged off and Clarke answered loud enough for her to hear,"You too. You almost had me there."

Clarke took a few moments to calm her nerves which was something she was awarded and once the crowd grew silent she pointed out her next opponent whose name Lexa announced.

"Klark has chosen Etri from Louwoda Kilron."

The man rose from his seat and seemed to make it to the arena quicker than others as his body practically pulsed with excitement. His silver facepaint glowed in the sun and it was a slight irritation to Clarke's eyes if she were being honest.

Clarke panned her eyes back to Lexa whose arm was already falling to signal the start of the fight. The very instant Lexa's arm fell to her side Clarke turned back to Etri and fired a volley of psionic blasts from her left hand at the man's feet.

Etri leaped sideways to avoid the blasts, but Clarke knew she was getting closer. She fired a few more volleys, but this time she used her right hand to fire a shot just slightly ahead of the other blasts.

Etri had been fully focused on dodging the incoming blasts that he didn't notice the one that Clarke had sent in front of him. It slammed into his chest before sending careening towards the edge. Clarke ran after him at full speed and as Etri fell over the edge she fired another shot which sent him away even faster.

He crashed into the ground and the crowd cheered at the brutal attack. Clarke turned back to the generals and quickly picked out another general.

A few seconds later, Erid from Sankru was walking up her flight of stairs. She wore billowy robes that Clarke was sure aided with the heat of the desert.

Their fight began and Erid quickly crouched down to the ground. She placed her hands on the platform's surface. Clarke was already running to disrupt Erid's plan when she felt the ground beneath her shift and then it happened.

Clarke slipped.

The ground beneath had been turned into sand and Clarke slipped before she fell face first into the sand. Clarke rose to her feet and she scanned the platform only to realise that the top level of the platform was covered in sand.

Clarke had to adjust her stance as she felt herself constantly sinking into the ground and ot was only once the pull became stronger that she realised this was all Erid's doing. Clarke sunk deeper into the sand as her attempts at escape proved futile.

Clarke unleashed a wave of psionic energy and every single grain of sand was blown off her. Clarke used all of her strength to spring into perfectly upwards jump. Erid's face snapped up to Clarke's ascending form and not even a second later tendrils of sand shot out the ground as they tried to capture Clarke.

Clarke's jump brought her roughly twenty metres above the platform. Gravity began to pull her closer to the incoming sand tendrils and Clarke closed her eyes in preparation.

The audience cheered at seeing Clarke on the back foot for once. There were whistles and cheers and jeers that grew louder as the tendrils began to close in on Clarke.

However, mere seconds before they slammed into Clarke large wings spread out behind Clarke whose eyes snapped open – now a harsh amber. Clarke's wings flapped hard and Clarke was just barely able to avoid the first few tendrils, but one slammed hard into Clarke's side.

Clarke was sent tumbling towards the sand, but she was able to regain control as she swooped back up mere feet away from the sandy surface of the platform.

The tendrils multiplied in number as they chased Clarke through the air and the misses were becoming narrower and narrower. Clarke eventually flew up and there groans of pain as Clarke flew into the direct path of the sun.

Erid's eyes were still wide open as she tried to direct the tendrils into Clarke's path. However, she blinked as her eyes began to burn and she cursed as Clarke had somehow managed to disappear into thin air.

Erid's tan facepaint had begun to run down her brown skin and mix into her black hair as the exhaustion of her efforts began to sink in. It was plain as day for all spectators that Erid had run her race and the sand tendrils began to shrink in size and slow down as they continued in their fruitless endeavours to catch an invisible Clarke.

Suddenly, Erid let out a harsh scream of pain. Her body bended forwards before she was sent flying and slammed straight into the base of the arena wall. The dust cleared to reveal a bloodied Erid who had clearly fallen unconscious.

Clarke dropped her invisibility cloak and she withdrew her wings and dropped to the platform. The sand crunched underneath Clarke's boots as she walked towards the centre of the platform.

The healers that had taken Sagan earlier had returned and as they began to take Erid away Clarke turned to the generals and she pointed towards her next opponent.

"Akeri of Podakru is next," said Lexa and the man rose to his feet and began to make his way to the the arena. The man arrived in the arena a few seconds later. He had long, black hair that hung down past his shoulders and interestingly enough there were beads braided into his hair.

Akeri's eyes were bright as he shouted to the crowd in a clear bid to ramp up the noise and excitement for this one. He turned towards Clarke and despite the good showing Clarke had given toda,y he took up no stance as he simply crossed his arms.

Clarke was wary of it being a trap of some sort and when Akeri's eyes flickered over her body before winking when their eyes met she knew he was trying to goad her. Clarke didn't react to his obvious attempts to piss her off though as she simply waited for the start of the fight.

The drums began to beat and instantly it was as though a switch had been flipped as Akeri held his hands out before out of nowhere a large mass of water formed in front of the man before rushing towards Clarke.

The size of the wave was such that it cast a shadow over an entire section of the while arena and Clarke knew she wouldn't be able to fly past or around it. The sand also made it difficult for her to gain any traction and she knew she had to think fast or else she'd be swept over the edge.

Th wave slammed into Clarke and despite the strong current she was just able to hold her ground. The rushing water swept all around her and it forced Clarke to close her eyes and mouth tightly. However, instead of the volume of water decreasing it instead remained the same.

Clarke waited it out for a few more seconds, bit it was only once she opened her eyes that she realised what was going. The wave hadn't poured over the edge, but had instead formed all around Clarke.

The sand below her feet and the intense pressure made it almost as if she was underwater. For all intents and purposes, she actually was underwater which was one huge problem for Clarke.

Despite all the power she has been given there was still some things she wasn't able to do.

Like swim, for instance .

Clarke tried to walk towards the edge of the platform to escape her watery prison, but it was a futile endeavour. The need to breathe began to overcome Clarke and she had to stop after barely making any headway.

Her lungs were burning fiercelyfrom the lack of oxygen. Clarke felt like just giving in before she drowned, but she wasn't afforded that luxury as her body spun around on it's own accord.

!*

Clarke's hand were holding onto the tips of a trident of all things and she winced as the outer blades dug deeply into her palms. The middle blade pierced a few inches into her abdomen and Clarke groaned in pain. A strange amalgamation of man and fish was holding onto the weapon as it continued to push forward.

Clarke's oxygen depraved brain caught up and she realised Akeri was ,of course, the perpetrator of the attack and in contrast to her he seemed to be perfectly fine underwater if his smirk was anything to go by.

In fact, it was the rise and fall of his chest that made Clarke realise that this had been planned ahead of time.

Akeri could breathe underwater.

The man wiggled the trident he was holding and Clarke realised belatedly that it was still inside her. Instinct had saved her from what was definitely a killing strike, but she wasn't out the woods yet. The trident had cut her so she was bleeding pretty heavily which was something that Akeri didn't notice as he kept his dull, fishlike eyes on Clarke's blue eyes even as he pushed heavily with his trident.

Clarke's air finally ran out and she let out a heavy breath which caused bubbles to form all around her and the Podakru general. Clarke removed her hands from the trident blades and she quickly shot a psionic blast that shot Akeri away, but also had the knock on effect of ripping the trident out of her abdomen violently.

Clarke groaned heavily as her brain registed the pain of her inner organs getting cut through. It also caused her to inhale water which made her next task that much harder. Clarke ignored the pain as best she could as her eyes warped into a dull silver and diagonal lines formed across both sides of her neck.

Eventually, the need for oxygen subsided as the newly grown gills on her face allowed her to breathe. She was still static however as Akeri seemed to have recovered from the psionic blast as he swam towards Clarke at an unbelievably quick speed.

He swam past Clarke and raked her side with his trident. Clarke winced in pain and she fired another shot from her left hand which missed as the psionic blasts were vastly slower underwater while Akeri seemed to be as swift as lightning.

No matter how many times Clarke shot another blast or tried to grab the general ,Akeri seemed to be dancing circles around her. Even a large pulse of psionic energy didn't seem to do much as the man simply swam away faster than the wave.

The cuts across her body were healing almost as soon as they were made, but for every wound healed it seemed as though another two would take it's place. Her movements were sluggish and her shots were missing Akeri by a few seconds.

Clarke needed something that would get rid of not only Akeri, but the water as well. Luckily, she had just the thing, but she only hoped that the both of them didn't die.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Heda,"said Indra as she looked towards Lexa,"The Skai girl must surely have lost by now. Akeri's plan worked perfectly. She can't swim and I'm sure even now her blood is mixing with the water. Why not end the fight?"

The arena was now in a nervous sort of silence as not much could be seen in the massive sphere of water. There were the occasional flares of purple light, but even those seemed to have died down.

Lexa knew from fighting alongside Akeri that the general's water dome would only dissipate if he was unconscious which meant that either Indra was right and Clarke had lost or–

"If,"said Lexa stressing the word heavily,"Akeri had won then would he not have emerged by now? Why else would he remain under the surface?"

Indra was about to respond when screams from the crowd drew her attention. The surface of the dome of water had changed. It had been as smooth as glass earlier, but now sections the surface seemed to be bubbling and churning.

A few seconds later, the entire dome was littered in bubbles and steam began to emanate off of the structure. The entire crowd seemed to anticipate what was coming as the dome began to boil. Steam wafted off of the dome as it began to rapidly shrink in size before it lost it's shape and collapsed at once.

The water dome collapsed inwards and it flowed over the edge of the platform like how it normally would have. There was still clouds of steam that hung heavily in the air, but the crowd seemed to roar as a figure gradually became visible in the steam.

The figure was on their hands and knees and coughing heavily. The figure seemed to longer on their hands and knees before gingerly standing up. Lexa already knew who it was from the silhouette, but she watched on as the figure raised it's arms up and pushed them outwards.

The steam on the arena rapidly cleared as harsh winds blew them away and the crowd was silent for a few moments before they cheered loudly at the sight of a battered, but clearly conscious Clarke.

Akeri was revealed to be lying on his back a few metres away and his body was littered with sores and blisters. However, Lexa's grip on the arm of chair tightened as she noticed a key detail about Akeri.

Akeri wasn't breathing.

Clarke didn't seem to notice at first, but as she panned the arena as if suddenly remembering her whereabouts she all, but ran to the other general.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

What had she done?

That was all that was running through Clarke's mind as she performed CPR on Akeri. Clarke's escape plan which was just essentially driving the temperature of the water above boiling.

The heat had caused Clarke to blister up much like Akeri, but her healing factor had done away with that. Unfortunately, some water had made it into her lungs and she had had to cough it all up.

That was all unimportant now as she pumped her hands over Akeri's chest. For the first time in what felt like ages, Clarke used Insight to see what was wrong and a few moments later electricity crackled on her palms.

Akeri's heart had stopped. It was probably due to the sudden change in environment. If Akeri's The healers had all crowded around her and the arena was silent save for a few whispers.

That all changed when Clarke slammed her hand onto Akeri's chest and his body tensed up violently as it surged with electricity.

Clarke repeated this twice more and on the third time she cranked up the voltage before slamming both of her hands onto his chest. Instantly, Akeri began to cough and sputter and as Clarke sighed in relief the crowd let out a series of gasps.

Clarke placed her hands over Akeri and she healed his wounds as everyone looked on. The blisters and boils dissipated rapidly and after tem seconds Akeri's skin was back to it's tan complexion.

The man had fallen unconscious almost immediately after waking up, but a quick check his heart was still beating strongly. The healers had brought a stretcher in and as they loaded Akeri up to the stretcher Clarke turned to the Commander's box.

She met Lexa's eyes instantly and they were rife with a flurry of emotions that Clarke could only guess at having not known the Commander well enough to pick up on her tics and expressions – something that Lexa barely ever showed in any case.

There was a burst of green flame that disrupted the impromptu staring contest between her and Lexa and that flame reminded Clarke of her remaining hurdles.

Clarke looked at the remaining generals and she had to fight back a wince. Azgeda and Trikru remained who she had a strong suspicion were the strongest and perhaps Clarke had overestimated herself. She had left Azgeda for later because she hadn't expected too much trouble from the general after beating Etri.

However, that had been far from the case and despite not being wounded Clarke was definitely nowhere near a hundred percent and to top it all off she had shown virtually all of her hands. It was probably why Akeri had started with such a brutal opening.

They were all taking her seriously which meant Clarke had to be more proactive.

Clarke pointed at the next general who rose from her seat and made her way to the platform after Lexa announced her name .

The ground was now a wet, muddy mess and this was something that didn't exactly help Clarke, but she would have to wait to do something about it.

Livia from the Ingronarona clan arrived to the mess of a stage and her gaze was cold as she took in the tattered form of Clarke's armour. Clarke looked at Livia whose black hair was flowing freely around her face. She had pale white skin that made the yellow colour of her warpaint stand out even more.

"I will bring glory to the Plain Riders, girl,"said Livia as she stared at Clarke,"I'm not like those other weaklings you fought."

Clarke didn't bother with a response and the familiar booming of the drums played out from all around them and as Livia Thurston her hands out Clarke ran full speed at the older woman.

The woman's arms weren't even fully extended by the time Clarke was in front of her. A fist to the core made Livia hunch over and grab her stomach before a kick to the face dropped her to the floor.

Blood was leaking profusely from the woman's wound as her body landed in a dirty puddle. A second later, Clarke shot a stream of lightning into the puddle. Livia screamed and screamed as thousands of volts coursed through her body before she went still.

It only took thirteen seconds.

Clarke didn't even spare Livia a other glance as she pointed at her next opponent, Mason from Delfikru. The woman in question stood up, but her next words shocked the crowd as she said,"Delfikru will not contest this fight under the ruling of our leader Chigo from his seat in Oria. King Chigo wishes to instead extend knowledge and trade opportunities with Skaikru. That is if you wish it, Heda."

Clarke was surprised by the turn of events and so were the crowd, but for different reasons. Jeers and whistles rose up from all over the arena as well as various insults to the Delfikru general who seemed nonplussed by the crowd's complaining. Her lime green facepaint stood out as clear as day.

Lexa raised her hand and the crowd fell silent. She glanced at Clarke before turning to Mason,"You are aware that your standing shall go down regardless if I accept your proposal?"

Mason nodded firmly and Lexa said something to one of her attendants who dropped a leaf into Clarke's flame. The flame erupted into a bright green and Clarke felt her hopes rise at the prospect of there being one less fight.

"It is done," declared Lexa,"Mason kom Delfikru has officially descended. Klark may choose her next opponent. "

The man who was chosen this time wasted virtually no time in rising and getting to the stage. Remus ,the name of the man according to Lexa , was muscular and had somewhat long dark hair. He was built solidly, but perhaps the most interesting thing about his appearance was that he had no armour.

He had a decent amount of throwing knives as well as a sword on his back, but he had no armour at all. His grey face paint was simply three jagged lines over each cheek.

Remus spread his arms wide open and said,"Give me the strongest punch you can manage, girl. "

Clarke was cautious of the invitation and as the fight began she didn't make a move at all. Remus seemed to lose his patience after barely ten seconds before he began running towards Clarke.

His speed was high and he covered the distance between them in a matter of seconds. He had daggers gleaming in both his hands and Clarke reached for her own before belatedly realising that her knives and daggers must have been swept away in one of her earlier fights – probably the one with Akeri.

Remus was already thrusting his dagger towards Clarke and she stepped backwards to avoid it. The man did not let up as he continueed forward with a series of stabs and slashes.

Clarke's superior reflexes were keeping her away from harm's reach, but there was no technique to her dodging. There was never any significant amount of space made between her and Remus as he advanced in a way that narrowed Clarke's options down.

Clarke eventually grew frustrated and seeing an opening she punched the man hard in the chest. Remus was sent rolling head over heels, but he recovered instantly as if he hadn't been hit. The man smiled and said,"You've got a strong punch. Thank you for your help."

The confusing statement was capped off by the man beginning to glow a bright white. A second later, Remus exploded.

Clarke was caught completely off guard and tumbling over the edge of the platform.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"She got arrogant,"said Kane as he sat next to Bellamy in the stands. The explosion had been loud and strong enough to blow away the majority slurry of wet sand away entirely. The platform now just had a massive crater that at its lowest point was probably halfway to the ground.

Remus stood in the centre of the crater, but he was breathing heavily and his muscles seemed a quite a bit smaller. He turned towards the Commander and shouted something in Trigedasleng.

Bellamy wasn't sure what was said, but what he was sure of was that the fight wasn't over yet.

"They didn't change his flame to green,"said Bellamy as he pointed out the fact to Kane,"Clarke's still in this."

It was by a twist of fate that as soon as this was said by Bellamy that a flash of blonde hair caught his attention. Clarke seemed to be levitating upwards as she rose from the edge she fallen from, but as her feet were revealed Bellamy saw that she was standing on a platform of rock.

"She made a smaller platform of rock jut out to keep her off the ground, "said Kane before he voiced the thoughts of everyone in the arena,"Impressive. "

Clarke wasn't done impressing, however, as she moved her arms in quick and harsh motions that caused a pyramid of rock to ensnare Remus. The man was already weak from his earlier effort at beating Clarke and a flash of green fire signaled his loss once ot became clear he couldn't escape.

Clarke didn't seem to be done however as once had let Remus go she went through a few more motions before the crater was filled up by the rock beneath it. The platform was back to it's original state a d there didn't seem to be any complaints from the last three generals or Lexa.

"Who do you think she'll pick next?"asked Kane and Bellamy answered instantly.

"The Azgeda general."

"You seem pretty sure,"said Kane before he saw Clarke, true to Bellamy's prediction, pick out the Azgeda general,"How did you know?"

"I've heard a lot about this general,"said Bellamy as the general made for the platform,"Supposed to be one of the strongest if not the strongest. Clarke will probably pick Quint next then Indra it depends on this fight. Clarke thinks she can win this one though."

"How do you figure?"asked Kane as the Azgeda general began to ascend the stairs.

"She hasn't picked Indra even though she knows that Indra is one of the strongest and will probably be a tough fight,"said Bellamy and as the Azgeda general reached the top of the stairs said,"If Clarke is going to lose to anyone, she wants to make sure it's Trikru. She already seems to be on good terms with Anya and her apprentice. The Commander is also from Trikru and those–"

"–are all the Grounders Clarke has a positive or working relationship with,"finished Kane.

"Exactly, "said Bellamy .

The two mem were silent for a few seconds before Bellamy turned to the older man.

"What's the name of the Azgeda general?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ontari.

That was the name of the general that Clarke was apparently supposed to look out for. The girl had intricate scars carved into her skin. Her facepaint was easily the most intimidating of all the generals as around her eyes were pitch black circles that contrasted sharply with the pure white paint that covered the rest of her face.

Strangely enough, similar to Remus she didn't have any metal armour in whatsoever. In fact, her clothes were littered with holes that were far too many on number to be anything, but deliberate.

The girl's eyes seemed to gleam with a cruelty and excitement that was just barely kept in check. Clarke chanced a look at Lexa and for the first time in the fight Clarke noticed Lexa seemed to be rather tense.

Clarke put the image out of her mind as she instead focused on her opponent. The horn sounded out signifying the start of the match and immediately Ontari threw a few knives towards Clarke.

The knives weren't especially difficult to deal, but there were a distraction as Clarke turned back to Ontari who had taken in a deep breath before exhaling a strong wind.

Clarke blocked the strong wind with a psionic barrier. She had to raise a second hand to steady the barrier to properly weather out the strong winds a.d when they died down Clarke picked up one of Ontari's knives before throwing it back towards the girl at a much higher speed.

The knife was only a flash of silver before it slammed right into Ontari's stomach. Clarke expected the girl to at the very least groan in pain, but she was shocked to see that Ontari was _smiling_.

The girl pulled the knife out with one hard jerk and to Clarke's surprise the tip of the knife was bent. Clarke didn't let that distract for long as she fired a psionic blast at Ontari who simply crossed her arms in front of her face and there was a flash of purple energy as the blast connected head on.

The energy dissipated to show Ontari's arms still crossed. In fact, the girl hadn't even moved an inch. The worst part was that the girl was _still_ smiling. She seemed to smile as she took out a dagger before a green circle of light appeared below her feet.

Ontari dropped down into the portal much to Clarke's shock before she felt her body begin to move. Her body turned in the opposite direction. Ontari had appeared from another circle of green light in stabbing position towards Clarke midsection. Instinct made Clarke's left hand rip the dagger from Ontari's grip before going in for a stab all within the span of a second.

It was why Clarke felt shell shocked as Ontari's eyes seem to track Clarke's high speed stab and caught Clarke's wrist in a move similar to Clarke's own a second ago.

What the hell?

Ontari's seemed to relish in Clarke's surprises she made a show of licking her teeth. This time Clarke put all her speed and strength into her lunch and Ontari wasn't quite able to react on time as Clarke's fist slammed into her face.

The sound of bones cracking echoed out throughout the arena and the crowd let out groans of pain as the sound registered in their ears. Ontari hadn't been sent flying from the punch and Clarke was confused until she registered the ringing pain in her hand.

The sound of bones breaking was not just Ontari's cheekbone.

It was also Clarke's hand.

The crowd seemed to realise this as well and a section of the crowd, which must have been Azgeda warriors, began to chant something.

"Klakaplana! Klakaplana! Klakaplana!"

Ontari turned her face back towards Clarke and she watched in curiosity as Ontari's cheekbone seemed to reset itself as blood. Ontari drew her hand back in an open palm and a twisted, gnarled bone emerged from her palm.

Clarke's medical training told her that she was looking at the radius and ulna wrapped around one another in a way that bone was definitely not meant to bend.

Ontari still had a strong grip on Clarke's hand and the sight of Ontari's blood made Clarke panic as she released a storm of psionic energy. The backlash sent both fighters flying in opposite directions and Clarke felt a quick pain in her hip before she rolled to a stop and rose to her feet.

Ontari had risen to her feet as well, but for once the other girl didn't seem as confident as she had earlier. The girl had an expression of open shock on her face as she pointed at Clarke.

"You,"muttered Ontari as the arena fell into a dead silence.

There was something stuck in Clarke's side that was flaring painfully and Clarke wrapped her hand around something before pulling it out. It was the remains of the intertwined ulna and radius that had been in the process of emerging from Ontari's palm. Somehow Ontari had shot it at her whilst Clarke had let off that psionic wave.

Clarke pulled out the bone and even as the wound in her side healed she realised that things had gone awry.

Her shirt had been tattered earlier in the day and thus there was nothing that stopped everyone else in the arena from seeing the blood that poured from the wound and coated the bone that was currently in Clarke's hand.

The black blood.

"That's,"said Ontari as she still continued to point,"Jus kom Heda..."

"You are a natblida. "

Clarke tensed as Ontari reached for a knife, but she was surprised as the girl instead cut her own palm. Clarke felt her jaw drop as black blood dripped from the wound before soaking the blade of dagger.

"Like me,"said Ontari as she spat up a glob of the black blood from her mouth.

Ontari licked the blood off of the dagger before a vicious grin grew on her face,"I will enjoy killing you."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**AUTHOR NOTES**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Trigedasleng :**

**Trikru – Woods Clan**

**Azgeda – Ice Nation**

**Delfikru – Delphi Clan**

**Ingronarona – Plain Riders**

**Trishanakru – Glowing Forest**

**Boudalan – Rock Line**

**Ouskejon – Blue Cliff**

**Floukru – Boat People**

**Louwoda Kilron – Shallow Valley**

**Sankru – Desert Clan**

**Yujleda – Broadleaf**

**Podakru – Lake Clan**

**Skaikru– Sky People**

**Jus kom Heda – The Blood of the Commander**

**Klakaplana – Bone Queen**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**GENERALS:**

**Trikru(Woods Clan):**

**Name: Indra**

**Powers(That have been revealed):N/A**

**Etymology: Name of a deity in Hinduism**

**Actor(if applicable): Adina Porter**

**Clan Traits:Black facepaint, tattoos**

**\--**

**Azgeda (Ice Nation):**

**Name: Ontari**

**Powers(That have been revealed):Bone manipulation, Super breath**

**Etymology (if applicable): Ontari from Ontario, Canada**

**Actor: Rhiannon Fish**

**Clan Traits:White and black facepaint, Facial scars**

**\--**

**Yujleda(Broadleaf):**

**Name: Quint**

**Powers(That have been revealed):N/A**

**Etymology (if applicable):N/A**

**Actor: Graham Shiels**

**Clan Traits: Maroon facepaint**

**\--**

**Ingronarona(Plain Riders) :**

**Name: Livia**

**Powers(That have been revealed): N/A**

**Etymology (if applicable):LIVonIA, Michigan**

**Actor: Cate Blanchett(specifically Hela in Thor: Ragnarok)**

**Clan Traits:Yellow facepaint**

**\--**

**Boudalan(Rock Line Clan) :**

**Name: Remus**

**Powers(That have been revealed): Energy absorption and expulsion**

**Etymology (if applicable): Romulus and Remus**

**Actor: Kit Harrington**

**Clan Traits:Grey facepaint**

**\--**

**Delfikru (Deplhi Clan):**

**Name:Mason**

**Powers(That have been revealed):N/A**

**Etymology (if applicable):MAdiSON, Wisconsin**

**Actress: Emmy Rossum**

**Clan Traits: Lime Green facepaint**

**\--**

**Podakru (Lake People):**

**Name: Akeri**

**Powers(That have been revealed):Water control, Fish transformation**

**Etymology (if applicable): Akeri is from Lake Erie**

**Actor: Jason Momoa**

**Clan Traits: Long hair with beads braided in**

**\--**

**Sankru(Desert Clan):**

**Name: Erid**

**Powers(That have been revealed): Sand Control**

**Etymology (if applicable): mERIDen, Connecticut**

**Actress: Zazie Beetz**

**Clan Traits:Tan face paint, Flowing, airy robes**

**\--**

**Trishanakru(Glowing Forest) :**

**Name: Sagan**

**Powers(That have been revealed): Telepathy, Air-running**

**Etymology (if applicable):Carl Sagan**

**Actor: Thomas Brodie-Sangster**

**Clan Traits:Orange face paint**

**\--**

**Ouskejon (Blue Cliff):**

**Name: Erica**

**Powers(That have been revealed): Swapping places with objects**

**Etymology (if applicable): amERICA**

**Actress: Jamie Chung**

**Clan Traits: Vertical blue face paint**

**\--**

**Louwoda Kilron (Shallow Valley) :**

**Name: Etri**

**Powers(That have been revealed):N/A**

**Etymology: Etri from Metric**

**Actor: Dev Patel**

**Clan Traits: Silver Facepaint**

**\--**

**Floukru(Boat People):**

**Name: Trent[Interim]**

**Powers(That have been revealed):N/A**

**Etymology : From Trent Alexander-Arnold**

**Actor: Nathan O'Toole**

**Clan Traits: Oceanic Blue Facepaint**

**\--**

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**Hope you enjoyed that. Things are moving forward and there have been unexpected bumps in the roads.**

**I'd love to hear some feedback**.


	14. Skyfire

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Clarke watched as Ontari's grip on her bloodied dagger became loose before the dagger fell to the ground entirely. The Azgeda girl pointed all ten of her fingers at Clarke.

A second later, there were white streaks homing in on Clarke. She weaved the barrage as she ran to Ontari and she realised that Ontari was firing her phalanges like bullets. The fact that they weren't covered in blood didn't escape Clarke's notice either.

It probably meant that Ontari's body was heavily modified to allow her to use her bone manipulation without detrimental effects. The sheer amount of bone bullets that Clarke had to dodge as she closed in were far more than 10 in number.

That meant her bones regenerated almost as quickly as they were removed.

Clarke finally reached Ontari who seemed to be able track Clarke at her current speed quite well. Clarke immediately went for a punch to the other girl's abdomen. Ontari's bones were ridiculously tough and even though Clarke could break them it came with the drawback of breaking her own.

Clarke's fist slammed into Ontari's stomach while didn't move fast enough to react to Clarke due to their proximity. Ontari was sent only a few metres back despite Clarke having put considerable effort into her punch.

It was only after her hand began to pulse in pain that Clarke looked at her hand and saw that her bones in her hand were knitting themselves back together.

"You can manifest bones from anywhere on your body,"said Clarke in surprise and it was a statement that was said with certainty. Ontari smiled at Clarke and nodded once,"Yes. You may be faster than anyone I've fought, but I can still see you. Your speed and strength are useless. Like hundreds before you and hundreds after you, your bones and blades will break on my skin. I am the Klakaplana. The Bone Queen and you will submit to Azgeda as per Kwin Nia's will."

Some of what Ontari had said was right . Clarke was a lot faster than Ontari, but the girl seemed to have sharp enough reflexes to at the very least manifest bone armour to blunt Clarke's blows. There would have to be another angle to attack from.

Clarke was not given any time to respond as Ontari ran back towards her. Clarke stood her ground and waited for the Azgeda general to reach her position. Ontari was soon in front of Clarke and she lashed out with a punch to Clarke's face.

Clarke was able to deflect the punches and kicks that came at her, but she was never in a position to counterattack. The advantage Clarke had in speed and strength was negated by Ontari's honed reflexes and years of battle and training.

Skill trumps raw talent.

That was not to say Ontari was having the best of times. She seemed to be getting frustrated at her lack of progress and it seemed to boil over when Clarke was able to connect with a decent hit to the face of Ontari.

Ontari's cheekbone snapped from the force, but snapped back together instantly. Blood was dripping from her mouth and she spat it away before dropping into her stance.

Clarke was analysing Ontari for any weaknesses like dizziness or favouring one foot, but there was nothing. Clarke know knew why the girl didn't wear armour was due to her bone manipulation, but what confused Clarke still were the holes in the girl's clothes.

There were in various spots all over the girl's clothes. A multitude of uniform, rounded holes that were definitely tailored to perfection. They would probably not be the best clothes to wear in a place as cold as Clarke assumed a placed called the Ice Nation would be. That meant they served a specific purpose.

Ontari seemed to catch Clarke's gaze on the holes in her clothes and she said,"You seem curious about my clothes. I would show you why they are the way they are, but I wouldn't waste it on a girl like you."

Clarke rolled her eyes and said,"This 'girl' just beat over half of your generals and I've hit you three times while you've only hit me once."

Ontari's hackles seemed to rise and a cruel frown twisted her features as Clarke's jibe settled in. Ontari rose from her stance and instead ran full tilt at Clarke. Clarke was ready to stand her ground again, but this time she watched in horror as spikes of bones erupted from all over Ontari's legs and arms.

They were all of varying length, but they were all equally wicked and sharp as they jutted from the girl's skin and through the holes in her clothes. Ontari ended up looking like some caricature of a porcupine with bones for quills.

Ontari reached Clarke and almost immediately one other bones cut into Clarke who couldn't dodge the punches and kicks and spikes from this distance. Ontari pressed her advantage and she began to score more and more hits.

Clarke felt like she was in serious danger of losing and she felt near hopeless. For every cut that was healed, another two would take it's place. Her movements became increasingly sluggish and she began to feel the weight of her limbs become heavier. The white of Ontari bones contrasted with the black of Clarke's blood.

To make matters worse, they were approaching the edge as Clarke walked backwards to avoid the strikes of Ontari. Clarke had to end this. Fast.

A weak burst of air from Clarke's body disrupted Ontari's rhythm enough to allow Clarke to counterattack. This time she wrapped Ontari in psionic energy and clenched her left hand in a bid to suffocate her.

Ontari didn't panic, however, as the pressure increased and Clarke realised that Ontari had probably manifested a layer of bone beneath the skin to fight against the compressing psionic energy as she withdrew her bone spikes.

Clarke was sure that if she increased the pressure on Ontari enough to break her bones then the girl would be in significant danger of losing her life. If that bone armour was crushed then it would essentially be like shrapnel cutting into the girl's body.

Clarke instead raised her right hand and a second later a mass of flames shot out her hand and washed over Ontari's body. The crowd screamed at the apparent execution of the Azgeda general and from her periphery she could see people rising to their feet and making for the stairs.

Clarke raised her left hand and a second wave of flames joined the first. The heat of the flames made sweat bead down Clarke's forehead, but she cut the flames off right as people burst from the archways at the bottom of the arena.

The stadium fell silent as instead of a burnt corpse they found Ontari still safely ensconced in Clarke's barrier. Clarke released the barrier and Ontari collapsed to the ground immediately clearly unconscious.

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"I thought Clarke killed her,"said Kane to Bellamy who shook his head.

"I've been in the same position before,"said Bellamy as he remembered his fight with Clarke all those weeks ago,"The barrier stopped the flames, but not the heat. Clarke's barrier are better than mine so I'm sure she had to release hot enough flames to make Ontari faint."

"That's clever,"said Kane as he watched a lot of guards from various clans repel the Azgeda contingent that had stormed the arena. Bellamy had been about to go down himself, but he had been stopped by Kane who pointed out a sweat covered Ontari who laid unconscious at Clarke's feet.

"Why is her blood black?"asked Kane and that drew a noncommittal shrug from Bellamy.

"Clarke hasn't told me,"said Bellamy before he added,"There's been a lot going on and between the disagreements we'd been having and this gauntlet we haven't really had much time to talk. What I do think is that that blood must be important. You saw how everyone here reacted to it. I don't know what it means to the Grounders, but what I do know is that it comes with some perks. That bone manipulation is one of the most versatile powers I've seen and Ontari is the only person I've seen with quick enough reflexes to not be completely blindsided by Clarke when she's revving her engine."

The Azgeda general was stretchered off by some healers and Clarke was left alone once again. She only had two more hurdles left, but things were still shaky. Indra was Lexa's second-in-command which by default marked her as Lexa's most trusted general.

What gave Bellamy some hope was that there was a chance that Indra wasn't the strongest of the generals and that would be great. However, Bellamy knew that Indra had to be formidable for her to hold her position. She was one of the oldest generals and that in itself was telling.

Fools wouldn't last near as long as Indra had and that was without considering Indra's position as the leader of Trikru. In all likelihood, Indra was second-in-command because Lexa trusted her and because she was a formidable fighter.

Clarke, was likely to know this as well, so she would try to beat Quint quickly before–

The stadium suddenly became quiet as Lexa's voice rang out,"Clarke has chosen Indra kom Trikru for her next fight."

"What?"said Kane in confusion, "Why wouldn't she pick Quint? Indra is strong and Clarke needs more time to recover. "

Bellamy was silent as he peered at Clarke who despite being covered in some blood was unhurt. However, at a closer look he saw something that caused some worry to rise up in him.

"Clarke's looking pale,"said Bellamy to Kane who looked at Clarke and nodded in agreement.

"Her stance isn't as solid as it was earlier either,"said Kane grimly,"She picked Indra because she expects to lose this one."

Bellamy desperately wanted to believe otherwise, but as Clarke's shoulders sagged even more and a slight grimace formed on her face the possibility of Clarke losing became a very likely possibility.

The fight began and Indra was attacking Clarke with furious swipes and stabs of her sword that Clarke only barely kept ahead of. The crowd seemed to egg on the leader of Trikru. It made sense that they would support Indra. They were in a Trikru town after all.

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It was definitely poison.

That was the only explanation Clarke could up with for why her body was moving so slowly. It took of all Clarke's effort to stay ahead of Indra and she knew it was only a matter of time before she'd get cut by the Trikru leader's sword which was the only visible weapon Clarke had seen on her before their fight.

Clarke knew that it was a poison that was meant to weaken her and slow her down and her guess was that Ontari had somehow coated her bones with it. However, that wasn't Clarke's main concern. Her main concern was much more alarming.

Why hadn't her body getting rid of the poison already?

Clarke stomped on the ground and spikes of Earth rose up in attempt to skewer Indra. The Trikru leader was calm however and she launched into a series of flips and dashes that were very majestic in nature. Indra's sword clattered to the ground long forgotten as she flipped and dodged the spikes even as they kept circling back towards her.

It was with an unnatural dexterity and grace that Indra moved and Clarke breathed a little easier as she realised that she had discovered one of Indra's powers. Clarke kept the pressure up giving Indra no time to rest as she looked to cause some distance between them.

Clarke finally got Indra trapped and the Trikru general was frozen as the spikes homed in on her position. Clarke was about to make the spikes stop just before they hit Indra, but she watched in surprise as the spikes all just smashed into the ground.

They formed craters as soon as they landed and loud booms reverberated through the air. Clarke could feel the vibrations that the spikes had made when crashing into the ground from her position. She tried to lift them up, but there was immense resistance under just the one.

Indra looked at Clarke and suddenly Clarke was on her back and it felt like her limbs weighed over a ton each. Clarke finally realised how Indra was able to take out her spikes.

Gravity.

The invisible force pressed down on Clarke heavily and that mixed with the poison made it harder to move. Indra was walking slowly towards Clarke and once she reached the girl she held up her hand and a gleaming green dagger of light formed in her hand.

Indra landed on Clarke's stomach so heavily that it forced Clarke to close her eyes. Indra put the knife above Clarke's throat and said curtly,"Submit."

Clarke shook her head and Indra pressed the knife closer to Clarke's throat. Black blood poured onto the blade of light. Indra looked at Lexa who shook her head. Indra understood the unspoken message and in her free hand a pike of light formed.

She slammed into all the way into Clarke's left hand which drew a loud groan from the younger woman. Indra's hand was still pushing the pike deeply into Clarke's hand and she said,"Give up. You fought well, but it is all over now. If Ontari hadn't poisoned you then you would have stood a better chance. "

"No way,"groaned Clarke and Indra's gaze tightened. She spun the knife she held around and was about to slam it into Clarke's forehead when it and the pike in Clarke's hand disappeared in a flash of light.

Clarke's eyes snapped open and Indra got a close up view of the slit pupils of the girl below her. Clarke cheeks puffed out before a spray of liquid ran over Indra's face. Indra's hands reflexively rose to her eyes as she desperately scrubbed at her eyes.

Snake venom was something you didn't want to get into your eyes as it turned out.

The gravity weighing Clarke down was gone and she lifted her hands before firing one strong blast of psionic energy into Indra's chest. The Trikru general was sent clear across the platform well over the edge and into the dividing wall.

Clarke was still laying on her back when she saw a burst of green flame. She gingerly climbed to her feet and she turned towards it. Clarke nearly sobbed in relief when she saw her flame turning bright green.

Her eyes met the Lexa's and Clarke was sure she looked a mess. Tattered clothes, blood caked all over her body and her hair had gotten loose and hung loose around her once again. However, Lexa didn't seem to be focused on that as she stared unflinchingly at Clarke.

There seemed to be a lot of thoughts swirling within Lexa and her emotions were practically bare to the surface. A second later, Lexa's face was wiped clean of emotion as she looked over Clarke's shoulder.

Clarke turned to where Lexa was looking and she was sure her face dropped as she took in the arrogant face of Quint. His facepaint was maroon and in the shape of a large spiral. Clarke was sure her own facepaint had been gone for a while now.

"Congratulations, "said Quint with a smile on his face, "You came this far only to lose to me. It's for the best. Yujleda will be glad to assimilate your people. If your comrades are even half as strong as you then not even Azgeda or Trikru would dare cross us."

Clarke's limbs felt heavy and leaden. The adrenaline rush from her victory over Indra was gone and she was acutely aware of the fatigue plaguing her body. Her last fight of the day began and it was with more than just a bit of desperation that she fired a blast of psionic energy at Quint.

However, her vision had begun to waver slightly and she missed the man completely. The man laughed as he realised just how tired Clarke was. Quint stomped on the ground and to Clarke's dismay the rock spikes she had tried to launch at Indra all rose off the ground. Quint was far away from Clarke and so he had a great vantage point as each spike lifted from the air one by one before they all shot towards Clarke.

Clarke felt adrenaline rush through her as the spikes of earth homed in on her. She closed her and as various strategies and ideas swam through she mind. She finally settled on the one that would work.

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"Why isn't she moving?"growled Bellamy as he clenched his hand into a fist. The stone bench him and Kane cracked as Bellamy's telekinesis boiled out of control. Kane placed a hand on Bellamy's shoulder that didn't do much, but Kane and the surrounding people found it a lot easier to breathe as the invisible pressure that was on them disappeared.

"Come on Clarke,"murmured Bellamy under his breath,"Move."

She stayed still.

"Move,"said Bellamy a little louder which drew the attention of the surrounding people for a few seconds.

Clarke still hadn't moved and the spikes were more mere feet away from her.

"Come on, Clarke!"shouted Bellamy and it was a scream so loud it drowned out the noise of everyone else in the stadium. Clarke seemed to twitch as the identity of the person who screamed seemed to sink in.

Her eyes snapped open and then seconds later it happened.

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Clarke was focusing as intently as she could. She could feel Instinct trying to force her to move, but she fought back against the motion.

She could hear the whistling of the spikes as they traveled through the air and she tried harder to pull this off. Her body twitched when she heard the familiar voice of Bellamy boom out through the arena and a second later her eyes opened.

It was done.

A massive explosion of flames emanated from her body and spread out throughout the arena. She could hear the loud screams of the audience as the flames spread out from Clarke's body.

Soon the entire platform was engulfed in a massive firestorm that lasted about ten seconds before it died down. The storm shrunk rapidly and soon they were only lingering flames remaining. Clarke was in her fire armour and the crow seemed to be in awe of her as she walked to her destination.

Quint had been quick enough to form a dome of rock around him, but the heat of the flames had warped the dome. There were scorch Mark's all over it and some sections were glowing a vibrant orange as they trickled to the ground slowly.

The dome disappeared and a sluggish, sweaty Quint tried to attack Clarke with his sword. She caught his sword and Quint watched as his sword was melted down in a matter of seconds. Clarke deactivated her fire armour before springing into action.

The poison seemed to have run it's course for the most part and Clarke felt some energy returning to her.

She sped towards Quint and she slammed a punch into his stomach. The man groaned and tried to swing at Clarke, but she parried the punch and delivered a kick into his knee. There was a loud crack and Quint collapsed to one knee. Clarke's frustration was getting the better of her and she lashed out at her one target.

She slammed a knee into Quint's face and he collapsed face first to the ground. Clarke kicked him in the side and she felt some ribs give away as the man was sent rolling in a heap. Eventually the man was lying on his back as he looked up to the sky.

Clarke walked up to the man and she placed her boot on his chest before speaking lowly.

"Give up."

Quint didn't say anything and Clarke looked up to Lexa who didn't seem to be making any moves to signal the end of the fight.

"Give _up_."

Clarke punctuated her statement with a kick to Quint's side. It drew a pitiful groan, but the man didn't say anything further.

Clarke felt frustrated and so she held her hand up and the crowd began to chatter and murmur as a large green bow of light formed in Clarke's hand. She pulled back the bowstring and a sharp arrow of light formed. She pointed the bow at Quint who panicked at the sight of the bow and tried to sit up, but he was forced back down by Clarke's boot.

"Apologise for disrespecting my leader,"said Clarke and the man caved immediately. The crowd had gone eerily silent in order to hear Clarke's words.

"I'm sorry for disrespecting your leader,"said Quint quickly.

"Apologise for disrespecting my people,"said Clarke coolly as she pulled the arrow back further.

Quint flinched back and quickly said,"I'm sorry for disrespecting your people."

Clarke waited a few seconds before she pulled the arrow back,"Give up."

Quint's eyes were wide open as he looked at the bow and said loud enough for everyone to hear,"I give up! I quit!"

"Good,"said Clarke and then she fired the arrow.

Quint's scream was drowned out by that of the crowd as the arrow left Clarke's bow before embedding itself in the ground right next to the man's forehead.

"Don't mess with Skaikru,"said Clarke before the bow and arrow disappeared in a shimmer of green particles.

Clarke turned towards the Commander who rose from her seat and addressed the crowd,"Klark kom Skaikru had been given the task of defeating my generals and she succeeded. It is with great honour that I present to you the 13th and Head General of the Coalition, Klark kom Skaikru!"

Clarke sagged in relief and she felt tears well up from the sheer physical and emotional exhaustion she felt, but she made sure to not let them fall. She turned to Lexa who had a smile on her face and Clarke tried to return it, but she felt her world spin and she watched as Lexa's face dropped into a frown before she shouted a few words.

Clarke didn't know what was said, but she heard a familiar voice catch her from behind just as she was about to fall. She felt the air around her change Clarke looked up at Anya who had said something after they had teleported, but Clarke didn't hear so she mumbled some words to Anya to repeat herself.

"You did well,"said Anya and Clarke felt the arms of sleep begin to envelop her,"Rest now, general. There'll be a feast tonight in your honour."

Clarke nodded and she finally closed her eyes. Soon, sleep came over Clarke and her last thoughts were on Lexa and her piercing gaze as she announced Clarke's victory. The scene played over and over as Clarke fell deeper into sleep and right before she fell asleep she still had one question on her mind.

What the _hell_ was a Head General?

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Raven sidled up next to Murphy who was serving himself some food in the dining room. The chatter in the dining room was pretty loud and it all just blended into vague, white noise. She had a plate of her own and she served some food onto her's as they progressed up the line. Eventually, they were done and they moved to a table that was empty.

They sat and ate their food in silence before Raven spoke,"How's life as a free man treating you?"

Murphy smirked and said,"It's alright. It would be better if you had taken out the whole thing though."

"I already told you,"said Raven between bites of food,"If we took it out and they just so happened to use it on you then we'd be fucked. If they use it, all you'll feel will be a little tickle at most. Anyways, do you think Maya was able to get to Monty?"

Murphy looked over Raven's shoulder and said,"Why don't you take a look for yourself?"

Raven did as was suggested and snuck a looo behind her and she was surprised to see Monty coming up to the table with Maya in tow.

That was quick.

The boy smiled once he met Raven's eyes and he snuck a somewhat furtive glance towards Murphy before he sat down.

"So Raven,"said Monty calmly,"Mind telling me why it took you so long to come to us about this shit?"

Raven sighed,"Yeah, I know. Clarke made me promise to not tell you guys until I had to and this is one of those situations. I'm assuming Maya took you to the cages?"

Minty nodded and there was an angry look on his face,"Yeah, I saw them through a side window. Clarke was right about this place. We've got to tell the delinquents and take to this President Wallace. Maybe he–"

"Come on, Monty,"said Murphy,"Get your head out the skies. Who do you think runs this whole place? He watched as they slapped a shock tag on me with a kill switch built in. He's been bleeding the Grounders dry for decades and turning them into reapers. You know the things that attacked your camp before Clarke burnt them to ashes? What makes you think he cares about us? They're probably finding a way to cure themselves with the other delinquents they caught."

Monty remained silent and Raven took the chance to speak,"We need to get Octavia, Jasper and all the super powered delinquents on board. Clarke's activated all of our powers, but we don't even know what they are yet. "

"How are we supposed to use them then?"said Monty to Raven who said,"Well, as it turns out the Mountain Men have a nifty device just for that purpose. "

"Why would they have that?"said Monty which drew an answer from Maya.

"It's mostly to see if the Grounders ever have a power that can help us go back up,"said Maya and a sad look fell over her face,"There's never ever been someone since the war began. Occasionally, someone with _potential_ is taken away for...experiments, but it has never panned out."

There was silence for a few seconds before Raven said,"Okay look. Here's the thing. These guys already used the device on us and the results were kept in Tsing's office. "

"Were?"questioned Monty which drew a smile from Raven.

"Yeah,"she said,"I swiped them all when Maya snuck me in there. They seem to be archived so I'm sure I got away with it."

"So what's the plan then?"said Murphy to Raven who answered immediately after taking a glance around the room.

"There's some signal jamming device that blocks all long-range radio communication,"said Raven as she made a show of continuing to eat,"Clarke gave me a radio to communicate on a specific channel with, but so far we've been getting jammed. We need to get rid of the signal jammer and that's where you come in Monty. "

"You want me to hack in and drop the signal jammer?"said Monty which drew a nod from Raven,"We need to be able to speak with the outside before anything."

"What are we supposed to be doing in the meanwhile?"said Murphy.

"Maya has been recruiting guys that are against the regime Dante and Cage have,"said Raven before she added,"We're going to seclude them with the rest of The 100 that aren't fighters and once Clarke and the Grounders' army come, she'll heal them and we'll take out the dissidents. "

"Sounds simple enough,"said Monty in an attempt at humour that drew no laughs.

"I'm going to speak to Octavia,"said Raven before she looked at Monty,"With Murphy. We'll need her to sneak into the control room and we also need to get her head out of her ass. The two of you will show the other delinquents the truth about what's going on in here."

"Got it,"said Monty and he left followed by Maya about thirty seconds later.

"Do you think we'll win?"asked Murphy and Raven shook her head.

"We won't get the win,"said Raven before adding,"The Grounders and their army will. The acid fog is down and if we can get the jammer down then it'll be all up to them. All we can do is hope we stay alive long enough for the army to get inside."

"Well isn't that just _great_,"muttered Murphy as he took a drink from his cup,"We're relying on a gamble."

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If you were to ask Octavia how many days she had been inside the Mountain or how many bottles and shots she's had the answer was the same for both.

She did not know.

In all honesty, she didn't really care either.

Octavia sat down on the couch in Clarke's room. Well, Clarke's old room anyways. Jasper had gotten her another bottle of the Mountain's version of moonshine. It was definitely a lot tastier than what they had on the Ark and it worked quicker too.

Octavia had just poured herself a drink into a cup when the door opened. Raven walked in and Octavia held up the bottle of moonshine.

"Care for a drink?"said Octavia and her smile dropped when Raven ignored her and went to the music player in the room. The sound of music filled the room and Octavia watched as Raven turned the volume up by quite a bit.

"Please pass me that bottle,"said Raven and Octavia obliged the request and as she followed the older girl into the kitchenette said,"Tough day? Been there."

Octavia handed the bottle to Raven who took it from her. Raven looked at the level of the bottle and said,"How may drinks have you had of this?"

Octavia gestured to the cup on the table and said,"That's my first one. Why? I know my limits, Raven. You don't have to baby me. I know you feel bad for me after what happened with Bell , but I'm fine. I swear."

"I am worried for you,"said Raven before she opened the bottle and poured it's contents down the drain which was something that pissed off Octavia.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"said Octavia as she grabbed onto the bottle in an attempt to stop Raven. The two girls wrestled over the bottle before it slipped from both their grasps and shattered in the sink.

Octavia stared at the pieces of glass for a few seconds before shoving her way past Raven,"Go float yourself. "

Octavia was walking towards the cup she had left on the table when a green beam shot through it burning the metal and evaporating the contents in seconds.

"Octavia, I've watched you get drunk with all the other delinquents and I let you do this because you were grieving, "said Raven and Octavia began to make her way towards the door.

"I don't need this, Raven,"said Octavia as she began to walk towards the door,"I'm going to get something to drink. Please stay away from me."

Raven was able to jam the door before Octavia could leave and she said,"No. Now listen, Clarke–"

Raven was cut off as Octavia's hand slammed into her cheek. Octavia's shoulders were drawn and tense as she said ,"Don't tell me anything about that bitch. She got Bellamy killed and then we're in here safe from the Grounders she's does everything in her power to ruin it for us. She tried to blow up the Mountain and held Maya hostage just to escape. She's a monster. I hope she's –"

In a reversal of roles, Raven slapped Octavia. The younger girl was stunned into silence. Raven took a deep breath to calm herself and once she had calmed suitably she continued the conversation.

"Bellamy isn't dead,"said Raven and she watched as Octavia's face warped into one of confusion,"The Mountain Men. They lied to us. All of us. They tortured Murphy and made him admit to Bellamy being dead. They've been watching and waiting for the right time to strike. "

Octavia shook her head and she tried to push Raven aside saying,"You're lying. Did Clarke get to you somehow? "

Octavia was becoming more and more frantic as she continued to blazer and Raven grabbed onto her shoulders firmly, "Octavia, listen. The Mountain Men have been taking Grounders and draining them of their blood and turning them into reapers. That's how they survived so long without being immune to radiation, but the Grounders' blood doesn't work that well. That's why they took us. They already knew we were from the Ark and after conducting tests on Murphy they realised our blood works better."

Octavia was silent as she allowed Raven to speak, but Raven could see the disgust that was plain as day on the girl's face.

"That's not all. They captured Mbege's camp and put them in cages,"said Raven and she watched as anger flared in Octavia's eyes,"They got their hands on Darah's journal and they found out that Clarke could cure them all. After Clarke got released from Medical after you two had your fight, Dante and Clarke had a meeting where he basically said that if Clarke didn't cure them then he would hurt us. He apparently said he has a way of taking away our powers."

"Does he really?"asked Octavia and Raven shrugged.

"I don't really know,"said Raven ,"The Grounders in the cages can't use their powers, but I don't think that was what he was talking about. I don't know if whatever was used on them can be spread throughout the Mountain or not, but if it can then we're in a bit of trouble."

It was a worrying possibility that had been playing in Raven's mind and she wasn't foolish enough to dismiss the threat. If Dante could just disable their powers with a flick of switch then the delinquents would be trouble. The Grounder army were actual warriors who could fight without their powers as evidenced by the swords and bows and spears that they use.

That was why it was of the utmost importance to make sure the army could safely advance to Mount Weather without too many casualties if any at all.

"Anyways,"said Raven as she shook herself from her thoughts, "Clarke refused and when Maya came to Clarke's room for a visit they let some radiation leak in to force Clarke's hand. Clarke cured Maya, but then she enlisted Maya's help to escape, but I caught her before she left."

"She wasn't going to tell you?"questioned Octavia as a frown grew on her face.

"Yeah, "said Raven ,"I guess she wanted to give us some form of plausible deniability, but I caught her. Clarke managed to figure out that we were under surveillance by the Mountain Men and after she disabled the microphones –she took your invisibility power to better sneak around the Mountain and before she left she activated all of our dormant powers. "

Octavia took a few moments to process the information and Raven waited for a few seconds before continuing.

"She also managed to figure out with my help that the Mountain Men were making the acid fog,"said Raven and Octavia punched the wall hard enough to crack it.

"So when I got kidnapped and you guys found me they tried to take us out? That long ago?"asked Octavia and she took a few breaths to calm herself down after Raven nodded in confirmation.

"So I'm guessing that explosion was the acid fog machine or whatever, "said Octavia and Raven nodded in response.

"Man, I really messed up,"said Octavia glumly and she really had.

She had managed to drink away the past few weeks and lavished in the vicinity of people who kept other human beings as cattle and turned into mindless zombies. Clarke had been right, but she had been blinded by the grief she felt over Bellamy's supposed death and Clarke was the easiest person to take it out on.

Clarke was one of the first friends she has ever had and with what she had said to her time and time again she did cherish their friendship. She hoped that she hadn't ruined any chances of reconciliation with her.

Raven seemed to understand why Octavia had grown so despondent as she said,"Chin up, Blake. Clarke understood the way you felt and trust me she will forgive you. She isn't really the type to hold grudges. You were a real bitch to her and so were the other delinquents, but you thought you lost your brother. Don't beat yourself up over it. I know I'd act the same if I lost Finn."

"Thanks, Raven,"said Octavia before she snapped her fingers as if remembering something, "You said Clarke took my invisibility right?"

Raven nodded, but she stopped in the middle of the motion as Octavia's entire left hand disappeared.

"You just made things a whole lot easier, "said Raven and Octavia watched in confusion as Raven pulled out a radio and pressed a button on it in some sort of pattern.

"Why did you do that?"asked Octavia, but Raven didn't answer.

About ten seconds later, the door jerked open and Octavia raised her hands towards it as her crystal armour spread across her arms rapidly. She lowered them, however, when she saw Murphy entered with his hands raised.

"Are we going to get this show on the road or what?"asked Murphy before he added,"We should probably hurry before Dante decides to launch another missile at The Ark and the Grounder Army."

"Another what at who?"asked Octavia,"The Ark is alive? And the Mountain Men shot a missile at them and the Grounder army?"

Raven and Murphy both nodded and Octavia realised that things were a lot more complicated than they seemed. Between the Grounders, the Mountain Men and now the Arkers it would definitely be chaos if they were all on the ground at the same time.

Octavia could only hope that the Arkers were getting along with the Grounders or things would get even messier fast.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Clarke woke up with a start and she blinked as her eyes registered the surroundings of her prison cell on the Ark. It worked. The walls were adorned with sketches of her past and there were new additions to the collection.

From one of Ontari with bones protruding from all over her body to one of Lexa holding a knife that dripped blood.

Clarke rose to her feet and walked out her cell. As expected, the hallways of Alpha Station appeared before her and she walked them at a measured pace. She reached the Chancellor's door and opened it immediately. Darah was reclined in her chair reading a book.

The door closed behind Clarke and she sat down opposite Darah who eyes were still on her book. Clarke waited for a few more seconds before she reached across the desk and took the book away from Darah.

"I was just going to read one more line,"said Darah with slight annoyance in her voice before it became a lot more cheery,"What brings you here, Clarke? I must say congratulations on your victory. You made me nervous for a few moments."

"Save the small talk for someone who cares,"said Clarke as she placed the book down on the desk,"I'm sure you know why I'm here."

"I do?"asked Darah and she chuckled at Clarke's darkening expression,"You must be referring to your fight with the girl with the modified blood? Ontario was it?"

"Ontari,"corrected Clarke and Darah sighed.

"You must be wondering why there are other black blooded people, "said Darah calmly, "and maybe wondering if they also have the Novus serum in their genetic structure. That Ontari girl did manage to react with speed that I'd only expect from a black blood. What do these "Grounders" call it again? Nightbloods? That's rather dramatic. "

Clarke very nearly lost her cool, but she knew it would not do her any good. Darah seems to love to veer off track when in conversation and despite being someone who had actively engaged in human experimentation she came off as a rather chatty and carefree person.

It made her annoying to deal with and it was why Clarke had not tried to take advantage of the encyclopedia of knowledge that Darah possessed on the Novus. Conversation with her was as annoying as it was unsettling.

"Get to the point,"said Clarke as she tried to hide her annoyance, but judging from Darah's widening smile she had not been successful. Clarke was proven correct as Darah finally spoke up.

"Your emotions are like an open book, Clarke,"said Darah as she drummed her fingers on the table,"You're going to need to work on that. The Head General of the Commamder's army should have far more control than what you're displaying. It's probably why the Commander was able to tie you down into working for her so easily."

"I _don't_ work for her,"said Clarke quickly, but she cursed as Darah smiled at her rapid response.

"Hasty,"said Darah with a smile before her face grew serious, "You made a blood oath to never have to work for her, but with her. Yet, here you are one of her generals that have to listen to and follow Lexa's lead. You might say it was necessary for you to ensure the Sky People would not be messed with anymore and they probably won't be. You used my gift well, but be honest with yourself. If the Grounders have to bow down to the Commander why didn't she simply keep your dissidents in line? Was it because you weren't a part of the Coalition? She just didn't and instead you had to jump through a whole lot of hoops to essentially become her subject . Why is that I wonder?"

Clarke stayed silent as Darah's words slammed onto her and despite her best efforts she could not deny the truth in the other woman's statements. She and Lexa had made a deal and yet she had essentially been forced to fight 11 of the strongest warriors in Lexa's army so that their voices could be heard. A simple word from Lexa would have erased all that.

These thoughts and many others kept swimming in Clarke's head, but a bolt of clarity slammed into her as she realised why Lexa did not show any favour to them. The truth of the matter was that Skaikru weren't a part of the Coalition. Lexa could not be seen to favour these newcomers over her own allies. Lincoln had almost lost his life for it and it could only be worse if Lexa being Commander was shown to be the same.

"Nice try,"said Clarke before she crossed her arms,"Lexa probably could have done more to help us out, but that would have compromised Skaikru and her position. The Commander is meant to be neutral and of she shows favour towards any clan ,much less invaders from space, then discontent would rise up in certain people. I may be her general, but I'm not her tool. This way wasn't ideal, but at least people now know not to mess with Skaikru. "

"I seem to be underestimating your intelligence, "said Darah and she didn't seem bothered by Clarke's rebuttal she even seemed , dare Clarke say, pleased by it.

"You did probably do well enough to scare the other clans,"mused Darah,"It was a tactic called 'Shock and Awe' in my days. A display of power so raw and unadulterated you scare the other side into submission or obedience. The US army during World War 2 used a–"

"I know,"said Clarke as she cut Darah off,"I didn't come for a history lesson, Darah."

"Very well,"said Darah before she said,"Follow me."

Darah stood up from her chair and as her sleeves rode up Clarke caught a glimpse at a silver bracelet around the woman's right wrist that disappeared from view a second later.

Clarke followed Darag as they made their down the hall before they eventually reached where the control centre usually was, but the door was now replaced with a wide observation window. Clarke peered through it and she was surprised to see an elegant drawing on the floor that was far below their level.

There were various golden lines on the floor that connected to a circle before they each lead to a painting of various symbols . The symbols all varied from a lightning bolt to an eye to an exclamation point. The chair was the only actual object in the room, but the golden lines seemed to pulse with an otherworldly glow.

"This," said Darah," Is the representation of the Novus. The symbols you see are the powers you currently have. For instance, the exclamation point is –"

"Instinct, " finished Clarke and Darah nodded.

"The Novus is perfect in every way except for one flaw," said Darah,"Poison and venom disrupts the functioning of the entire design. Why? Only a fool would assume that an inventor didn't have a way of shutting down their own invention. As you may or may not know, your blood hols the key to the Novus. If someone were to get a hold of your blood like say those Mountain Men from I don't know perhaps broken glass...then you would not be so unique anymore to say the least. "

Clarke paused as she realised the very real possibility of the Mountain Men having her blood. It was unnerving to think about to say the least.

"In any case,"said Darah suddenly, "Your body has acclimated to the Novus for now. I'd suggest mastering what you have in your arsenal now. I can guarantee you that not all of your fights will be as simple and as controlled as your gauntlet. Especially if you fight with other nightbloods. "

"Why is that?" said Clarke before she felt a strange sensation all over her body and she watched as her body began to turn transparent slowly.

"You're waking up,"remarked Darah before she said,"The Darwin nanobots emit varying amounts of radiation which depends on the version. Those Blake siblings and that mechanic have four powers because their ancestors were a part of a space program ran by a company, but they got rejected because the serum they took did not settle fully within their bodies."

"Serum?"said Clarke before she blinked in realisation, "A nightblood serum?"

"Yes,"said Darah,"Nightblood allows you to handle higher levels of radiation. The Darwin nanobots are all able to see just how much radiation you can handle. Their ancestors didn't fully turn into nightbloods, but their bodies were still able to process higher amounts of radiation than the norm. It's why their powers are so strong. Their bodies can handle the increased radiation that comes with having stronger and more powers. Therefore, nightbloods–"

"They should have stronger and more powers than Bellamy, Octavia and Raven,"finished Clarke.

"Almost, "said Darah before adding,"Those enhanced reflexes Ontari showed in your fight as well as Lexa when she stopped the bullets leads me to believe that their physical enhancements are well above normal Ascendants, but not quite on the level of yours. The sample size is small so chances are there could be some who are just as fast and strong as you if not more so."

That didn't make things better though. If there were other nightbloods who for some reason were hostile to Skaikru and Clarke was certain they would eventually be some if they weren't already. That would mean that the speed and strength she liked to use to her advantage could possibly be countered by other nightbloods with their own physical enhancements and battle experience as Ontari had shown.

"Get stronger Clarke,"said Darah as Clarke's body was about to fade from view,"Destroy the Mountain and free your friends. You've done well so far, but you aren't quite on the mark yet."

Clarke's body faded more and more and just as she was about to disappear from view she was still able to hear Darah's parting comment as the woman turned away from Clarke and instead looked into the Novus room.

"Say hello to your friend for me."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A lone guard sat in the control centre and he seemed oblivious to the world as he looked at the various screens. As was the norm for the late evening, there was some vibrancy to the Mountain as people flitted from one place to another sometimes in groups or on their own, but all at varying speeds.

A yawn escaped the guard who made no attempt to cover it up.

"To think I'm only half an hour into this shift,"said the man before a knock on the door drew his attention. His eyes panned to the camera and he groaned as he saw a person dressed in the decontamination kit.

He rose from his seat before opening the door and once he saw the person at the door said,"Wasn't there a decontamination earlier in the day?"

"Yes,"said the person before adding,"I couldn't finish however. Don't worry this will only take five minutes."

The guard sighed and nodded before moving aside to allow the other person to move inside and bring their decontamination machine with as well. The guard was about to step aside, but he was surprised when a hand closed his mouth.

He tried to scream to get attention, but he was silenced as his neck was snapped by the cleaner that was brought in with him.

"What the hell Murphy?"said Raven before she appeared from thin air with Monty and Octavia as they held onto each other's hands,"You didn't have to kill him."

Murphy shrugged and said,"If he raised the alarm, we'd all be dead. This way we don't have to keep an eye on him. Besides, he was one of the guys who laughed and tortured me when I got in here. He had it coming."

"Just drop it Raven,"said Octavia calmly,"He was going to end up dead anyways."

Raven sighed before she reached into her pocket and pulled out a radio and spoke into it,"We're in, Miller. You can start moving the people."

"Roger that,"said Miller over the radio and the group of four watched as a small group of both Arkers and Mountain people began to make their way to the level that they had designated as their stronghold.

The groups were never larger than 5 at a time and they were staggered in varying intervals. Eventually the first group reached the top floor which was level with the main door of the Mountain and were sequestered in an abandoned meeting hall.

Soon about 85 Mountainers and delinquents were safely in the room. Monty was seated at the computer along with Raven right next to him. He watched as the people milled about in the room and said,"Are you sure this many people won't be missed?"

"Yeah,"saod Raven as she added,"There's over 600 people in this Mountain excluding about 20 kids all around eight years old. We haven't figured out a way to get the kids there yet which is why we only approached couples without kids, but that's where you come in, computer whiz. All you have to do is initiate the evacuation plan that sends the kids and their parents to the kindergarten and we'll have one less headache on our hands."

"We're going to need to hold this place down though,"said Octavia as her hand morphed into crystal,"What are Murphy's anyways? Raven's new ones are the X-ray vision and the...whatever the hell you call that last one. Monty now has freeze vision and I have 360 degree vision and can make some killer shockwaves. What does this bozo have? I don't want to do all the legwork."

"Bozo?"said Murphy before he rolled his eyes and said with a healthy amount of sarcasm, "_So_ hurtful... Anyways, I have two powers. One is causing pain to a single person via sight and the other– "

"Could you guys keep it down?"said Monty as he began to tap away at the keyboard. His fingers flew over the keyboard before he stopped just as suddenly as he began.

Immediately, pictures of the Ark began to show up on the computer screen and Raven sighed in relief as she saw pictures of Bellamy, Finn and even Abby and Kane.

"From how long ago are these pictures?"asked Raven as she and the rest all looked at them all.

"A few days ago at least?"said Monty before adding,"This was likely before the missile. There are some more of the Grounder army as well, but not really any of Clarke. I guess they withdrew their scouts after the missile got deflected. "

The pictures disappeared one by one before it was replaced with various lines of codes appeared on screen. The staccato of the keyboard sounded out as Monty worked and after a few minutes the screen was warped to reveal a screen that had some sort of sound waves on it.

"Is that what I think it is?"asked Raven and Month nodded.

"Yeah,"said Monty as he stretched his fingers ,"They're jamming every long-range signal except for the one they use. I can disable it and then we can speak to the army. Should I do it?"

Raven was about to answer, but Octavia's panicked voice caught her attention.

"Guys, "said Octavia as she and Murphy looked grimly at their screen,"You might want a look at this."

Raven and Monty looked towards the monitor and Raven cursed under her breath as she took in the sight of a horde of guards rushing towards their location. They would probably be there within three minutes or so.

"Skip that for now,"said Raven as she turned to Monty, "Sound the evacuation plan and lock down the nursery. Then go for Plan B."

"I'll need at least fifteen minutes for that,"said Monty hesitantly as he looked at what was about 20 guards approaching their location.

"Do it in ten,"said Raven and Monty was left soon left alone in the control centre.

He sighed before he began to type the code that would execute one of the many evacuation plans the Mountain had in case of radiation leaks.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yellow lights flashed and sirens began to blare in the hallway outside the control centre. The shrill sound of the alarm reverberated in the hallway for a few more seconds a dull, robotic voice replaced the sound.

"Code red,"said the robotic voice,"Massive radiation leaks detected throughout the Mountain. Initiate Plan C7-21. All families with children under the age of 18 are to proceed to the Nursery. The rest are to proceed to the dining hall. This is not a drill. Code red–"

"So the kids will be safe?"said Octavia and after Raven's nod said,"Good."

A guard suddenly appeared around the corner. The man screamed something into his radio, but he was cut off as a bullet slammed into his forehead. The man slumped to the floor and a puddle of blood began to form underneath the man's body.

Octavia looked over her shoulder and she was surprised to see Murphy holding a gun, but with one key difference. His skin had turned the exact same shade and shine of the silver handgun he held. Murphy noticed her stare and he flicked the gun with his finger.

A sharp ping resonated from the impact and Octavia sounded impressed as she said,"Your body can mimic any substance it touches?"

Murphy nodded and was about to speak, but he was cut off by Raven whose eyes were glowing a vivid yellow.

"We've got incoming,"said Raven as she stared at one of the walls,"About ten incoming."

"Ten?"said Octavia in confusion,"Didn't we see around 20 before?"

"Yeah,"said Raven grimly, "They must have split up to go after the rebels and the other delinquents. Murphy, you should go after them. I'd send Octavia, but we need to keep them out. I'll cause a distraction and then you should slip your way through."

As if on cue, the guards appeared around the corner and some of them reached for their guns. Raven raised her hand and Murphy watched in amazement as Raven's hand seem to emit a series of hisses and clicks before it morphed into a metallic cannon.

Raven pointed her at the group of guards who were about to fire and a series of energy blasts were fired from her arm cannon. Not all of them hit their mark and rock and cement was sent flying all over the place.

The ones that did, however, worked to devasating effect as screams of surprise and shock were cut off abruptly as soon as a blast made contact with an unlucky soul. The few guards that got hit were all pulverise and Raven stopped shooting as sweat beaded down her forehead.

"Get out of here, Murphy!"shouted the other girl as her arm formed into a large metal shield and she quickly crouched to the ground.

It was no moment too soon as darts slammed into Raven's shield and the sound of them bouncing off the shield jolted Murphy into action. He ran around Raven and the Mountain Men turned their fire towards him, but the bullets ricocheted off of his armour and he was able to quite easily maneuver through the guards.

One guard reached for Murphy's arm, but Murphy slammed a fist into the guard's face. A loud cracking noise emanated from the guard's jaw and Murphy was able to make it to the elevator. The sound of a man shouting drew his attention and he began rapidly pressing the button to open the elevator. The doors opened and Murphy practically dived into the elevator.

He pressed the button to take him to the floor the delinquents were on with the rebels and the doors began to close. Relief flooded his system for a few seconds, but just before the doors were about to close Murphy saw something that made his stomach fill with dread.

"Guards,"said Emerson as he lead 10 guards in heavy armour, "Capturing them is first priority, but kill if necessary."

The doors slammed shut leaving Murphy all alone in the elevator.

"Shit."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Clarke's eyes opened and this time instead of the metal ceiling of her cell on the Ark she was greeted by the wooden ceiling of a house. She sat up quickly and a spell of dizziness came over her.

"You're awake,"said Anya as she sat in a chair a few metres away from the bed,"The feast has already begun. You should get dressed. "

Clarke realised she was in normal pants and a tunic and she tried to speak, but her voice was cut off due to how dry her throat was. Anya seemed to have been prepared for this as she held out a canteen towards Clarke.

Clarke drank deeply from the canteen as cool water trickled down her throat. It was only a matter of seconds later that Clarke had drained the entire contents of the canteen.

"Thanks,"said Clarke and Anya nodded as she took it back from Clarke.

"You did well,"said Anya as Clarke began to get changed into a set of armour. The golden armour pieces she had worn earlier were next to the clothes, but they had been recently cleaned as they glowed under the candlelight of the room. Her radio as well as her ring was also situated next to them noted Clarke idly. Tris must have brought them here. Her father's watch had been left at Arkadia in her room.

"I almost lost a lot of times,"said Clarke once she was fully dressed,"Akeri, Ontari, Indra and Quint all almost beat me. Akeri almost gutted and drowned me. Ontari poisoned me. Indra almost crushed my body and even Quint was close. I have all these powers, but it wasn't enough. Especially against Ontari if she had been looking to kill me then she could have used a more deadly poison on her bones."

Anya was silent for a few moments and as the fight replayed in Clarke's head, the obvious mistakes she had made from not flying away from Ontari to not electrifying Akeri when she had caught his trident in his first attack. The sheer guile and fluidity with which the other generals fought made the fight a lot closer than it ever had to be.

"You're right,"said Anya as she tilted her head towards the door and they began to walk out the room. They were in a house that Clarke didn't recognise at all. They stepped out the threshold and the smell of fires and meat as well as the sounds of laughter was prominent in the air.

"You obviously have a lot of power,"said Anya continuing their conversation, "The problem is that you don't use it with enough skill. Take your fight with Akeri. On his own, he can't cause as much damage as you can, but he makes up for it with skill and intelligence. You lack skill, but make up for it with power. That is fine when fighting lesser warriors, but less so with those that are wiser and more experienced. Ontari, as much as I despise her existence, is a good blend of both. You need to learn to play to your strengths and be able to counteract your weaknesses. "

"How exactly am I supposed to do that?"said Clarke as they raved the location of the feast. Anya and Clarke hadn't been noticed, but that seemed to last all of ten seconds before a group of people seem to notice them.

Looks and murmurs began to be thrown about and Clarke felt pretty uncomfortable with all of this. She supposed that whether she had won or lost she would have still been the talk of the day, but the fact that she had actually won probably shocked everyone.

Anya seemed to hurry up all of a sudden and Clatke matched her speed as she said,"Where are we going anyways?"

"The generals are due to have a meeting once you are awake,"said Anya as she eyed the people around them,"I have no doubts that most of them if not all of them know of you being awake by now. You intrigue them."

Clarke had nothing to say in response and once they reached the tent where Clarke had all began true to Anya's prediction they arrived at the same time as a few generals such as Erica who was staring at Clarke intently while Indra was glaring at Clarke.

"If it isn't our newest Head General ,"said Akeri and the man looked no worse for wear,"Congratulations on your win. I heard your fights were amazing to say the least."

"Thanks,"said Clarke cautiously, but she relaxed a bit more when she realised Akeri was being genuine, "It wasn't easy. I almost killed you too. Sorry about that."

Akeri laughed heartedly and said,"If I held a grudge against everyone who has tried to kill me then I would have no friends. "

Their conversation seemed to draw the attention of the other generals who were not accompanied by their guards for a change and Clarke met Ontari's eyes and the Azgeda general sneered at Clarke as she muttered some words under her breath.

Clarke kept her eyes pinned on the other woman who seemed to be insulted by this as she stepped towards Clarke. She stopped in front of Clarke and said,"I see my poison didn't work. I suppose I'll just have to try harder next time."

"I fought 9 people before you,"said Clarke as she stepped closer to the shorter girl,"You wouldn't stand a chance."

Ontari practically snarled at Clarke's insult and she reached for her side, but she froze as Lexa voice's spoke up.

"Ontari,"said Lexa from her position outside the tent,"Stand down."

The Azgeda general went stiff for a few seconds before she calmed down and said,"Apologies, Heda."

Lexa waved Ontari's apology with a wave of her hand before she said,"Come inside. We still need a plan for the Mountain. "

The general were all seated with Clarke taking Kane's old seat. The other generals all sat down in their respective seats and only then did Lexa take her seat on her throne.

Clarke wondered who moved that thing around for her. It was probably one of the perks of being Commander.

"As I doubt I need to explain,"said Lexa with her hands resting on the throne's armrests,"Klark beat all 12 of the generals earlier today. It is because of this that she has been inducted as the Head General. Are there any of you who disagree?"

Livia immediately raised her hand. Clarke eyed the Plain Riders' general who cleared throat and said,"Heda. Klark may have considerable strength, but that is not all that is required to be a general. Diplomacy, intelligence, battle experience. These are all things that she needs to work on."

"I disagree, "said Erid her voice having a bit of a gruff undertone,"Klark has already managed to negotiate an alliance and eventual entrance into the Kongeda for Skaikru. She showed a natural aptitude for battle as she used different ways to subdue us all. Not to mention she displayed levels of power that would make even the rashest of people think twice about attacking her and Skaikru. Something she must have intended from the beginning."

There seemed to be a general agreement with what Erid had said as no one voiced their objections. In fact, only Ontari and Livia still look put out by the suggestion of Clarke's suitability for the role.

"Whether or not that is true,"said Lexa her voice piercing the silence at the table,"It is already done. Indra had been elected Head General when she had won the tournament I had held for the position and now Klark has done the same. She'll grow into the role as Erid said, but as of right now with her having intimate knowledge of the Mountain she is by far the best candidate to lead the discussions. "

It was odd, Clarke would say, to be spoken about as if she was not in the room. She did not particularly want the role of Head General, but if it was as big a deal as it was being made to be then she would have to take it seriously.

"Klark,"said Lexa now addressing her directly, "What would be your plan for gaining access to the Mountain? "

"I do not think it would be of our best interests for the entire army to enter the Mountain,"said Clarke as calmly and confidently as she could, "The hallways are far rather narrow and the Mountain Men have guns and weapons that would make it easy to kill us . I propose a smaller strike force that would sneak in through the tunnels. There's an exit that leads directly from where your people are kept prisoner inside the Mountain to the tunnels itself. It's what Anya and I used to escape from the Mountain. "

"What of the rest of the army?"said Erica once Clarke was done speaking,"Should they be used as a diversion to draw the attention of the Mountain Men."

Clarke nodded and said,"Yes. However, it would be best that the diversionary force stick to the trees. The Mountain Men wont be able to fire missiles at what they can't see."

"What of the Reapers?"said Ontari suddenly and Clarke sighed as she remembered the promise she had made to prove that Skaikru could cure the reapers.

"It's likely that the Mountain Men will use the Reapers as their vanguard. It's what they did when the Reapers attacked our old camp,"said Clarke and when she saw no objections continued,"I do believe that Skailru will be able to heal the afflicted Reapers so capturing them would be the best option. I doubt the amount of Reapers would compare to even a tenth of the Army. If a few of the generals and a part of the army lead the luring and capturing of the reapers then we should have enough people to draw even more attention away from the tunnels especially if we make it seem like we are trying to enter from the front."

A few of the more open generals like Akeri were showing their approval for the idea and even Ontari didn't seem to disapprove of her ideas. It wasn't up to them, however, and as Lexa began to speak all the generals turned their attention to the Commander.

"How confident are you that Skaikru can heal the reapers?"said Lexa as she looked at Clarke who replied immediately.

"Very,"said Clarke,"They use a drug to turn people into reapers and once we get it out of their system they should be fine."

"Very well. ,"said Lexa before she turned to one of the attendants in the room who had up until this point been out of Clarke's point of view,"Eve, please organise some food to be brought here for the generals. "

Eve left after bowing to Lexa and once she was gone everyone turned their attention to the map in the middle of the table as they began to discuss the division of the army and who would lead what army.

Clarke felt relieved that all of her hard work hadn't been for nothing as the generals had taken her advice seriously despite their fights earlier in the day. It showed a maturity that was as surprising as it was refreshing.

Clarke was drawn out of her daze as the generals began to speak and she quickly returned her haze to the map. She felt eyes on her and she looked up to see Lexa who was looking at her. Lexa nodded minutely and Clarke almost reciprocated until she remembered her conversation with Darah.

The niggling thoughts and doubts she had of Lexa were brought to the surface by the former Chancellor and despite Clarke's earlier words it didn't mean she didn't see Darah's point. Clarke didn't not trust Lexa, but she didn't quite trust her either.

A lot of what she had to go off of was everyone else's opinion and what of what Clarke had been able to glean from their conversations. The Commander had these walls that made it harder to know what she was thinking or what her opinion was on certain things.

Those walls hardly ever came down and even when they did Clarke was not sure whether or not it had been intentional on Lexa's part. This only further solidified Darah's point. Clarke needed to get a better grip on her emotions.

It was this thought in mind that she simply averted her eyes and turned back to the map where Akeri was trying to point something out to Erid.

It was because of this that Clarke did not see Lexa's gaze linger on her for a few more seconds before she looked away.

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Things were looking bad.

Octavia fired a few crystal shards that embedded into the legs of a male guard. She ducked to the floor as someone snuck behind her and she morphed her hand into a sharp point before stabbing upwards.

Blood was splattered across Octavia's body and she wasn't sure how many people she and Raven had taken down. What she did know was that they didn't seem to be disappearing. There were the stupid ones who seemed to charge with no sense of self-preservation and they were rather easy to deal with.

However, there were also the heavily armoured ones who simply hid behind obstacles and tried to hurt them from a distance.

"Duck!"shouted Raven from behind her, but it was pointless as Octavia had already seen Raven prepare the motion. She ducked to the floor and watched as two green lasers shot across the hallway and cut into the armour of the guards who had shown up after Murphy. The beam was rapidly blunted and it only seemed to burn the guards instead of cut through them.

The beams hurt about four of the guards before Raven had to stop as darts filled with a knockout agent were shot at her from those she missed. Octavia watched in slight amazement as Raven's hand seemed to behave like some sort of machine and turn into the full body length shield she had used earlier.

Octavia and Raven were alone against roughly 10 guards and they had already taken out about 20 of them, but now the burn of their muscles was impossible to ignore. Octavia raised her hands and a large shockwave fired out from them.

The shockwave slammed into one of the few guards who weren't armouredor hiding behind an obstacle and the woman was sent flying before rolling to a stop. Blood seeping from her mouth. Octavia fired another blasts at the armoured guards, but aside from rattling them it didn't seem to be doing much.

There was suddenly a flurry of synchronised motion from the guards as they all reached for their sides before pulling out masks.

They all threw canisters that were leaking red smoke and immediately Octavia recognised them. She was able to snipe a few out the air with her shockwaves and blew them back to the guards, but a few still snuck in.

Raven had also gotten a few shots in, but about two canisters had managed to make it past. Octavia panicked as they began to leak smoke at a high rate and soon the noxious gas began to fill her lungs. She felt dizzy and her vision became extremely blurry. Octavia felt like she was about to collapse , but she felt someone begin to pull her away from the noxious cloud.

Octavia struggled and fought against her captor, but she was surprised when she was thrown onto the floor roughly. She heard a voice scream her name, but she couldn't quite place it. Octavia breathed deeply once she realised she wasn't in the hallway anymore and her body began to fight against the effects of the knockout gas.

Her vision returned to normal and Octavia relaxed as she saw Raven with some strange contraption over her mouth. Her eyes were currently a pure white and there must have been shock evident on Octavia's face as Raven spoke up her voice sounding robotic through the breathing apparatus.

"I had to take us in here,"said Raven as she gestured towards Monty who must have called her name earlier during her daze,"There's a bit of a storm in the hallway and I doubt you'd want any part of that."

"You blew the cameras out with your little hurricane trick, Raven,"said Monty as he tapped away at the keyboard, "You guys need to go like now. The other room is under attack too and they're fine for now, but I think that they'll need your help more than I do."

Raven's eyes returned to their normal colour and she collapsed to her knees. The breathing apparatus around her mouth disassembled itself before seemingly molding into Raven's skin.

"Are you okay?"said Octavia as she moved closer to the other girl, but Raven rose to her feet quickly yet still showing signs of dizziness.

"Yeah,"said Raven before she added,"This new power is draining. It took a lot of effort to make that gas mask and pull you in here. Anyways, Octavia you should go help them out. We can't leave Monty alone."

"I can't leave you guys here,"said Octavia as she panned her eyes to Monty,"How far done are you?"

"I'm nearly there,"said Monty as his fingers flew across the keyboard,"I just need to initiate the–"

Monty was cut off as a thud sounded from the vents above their heads. He seemed to almost double his speed as he typed on the keyboard. Octavia realised what was happening and she raised her hands before shooting crystal shards upwards.

The shards tore into the vents and a scream of pain was released from above their head. Raven was still too tired to help out much, but she was able to activate her X-ray vision. She could see the guard in the vent was bleeding rapidly and she knew that the guy was not going to make it.

However, she saw him reach for something at his side and a ball dropped I'm her stomach as she saw him holding a pin.

"Guys! There's a–"shouted Raven as she ran forwards, but it was cutoff by a large explosion above their heads. Raven was blown through the air and she felt a sharp pain in her leg before everything faded to black.

"Raven!"shouted Octavia as she deactivated her crystal armour and she scrambled to the girl as she saw the metal shards embedded in and around Raven's knee,"Shit. Monty! You good?"

"Yeah,"said Monty even as blood dripped from his forehead. The sound of pounding on the door drew his attention and he said,"Octavia, Raven will be fine. I promise, but–"

"I know,"said Octavia as she walked away from Raven whose pain-filled murmurs felt like knives getting stabbed into Octavia's ears. The pounding on the door got louder and so did the tapping of the keyboard as Monty worked as quickly as he could manage.

Suddenly, the door slammed forwards as it landed on the ground with a heavy thud. Octavia immediately raised he hand and fired a series of crystal shards. It was all for naught however as the guards had moved away from the door having clearly expecting a move like that.

Canisters were thrown into the control centre from around the side of the door and Octavia couldn't do anything as the smoke filled the room. Monty began to type quicker and even as the Mountain Men piled into the room.

He heard shouts of anger and he felt a sharp pain in his neck, but he was able to tap one last button before beginning to slump down . As he fell unconscious, Emerson raced up next to him and he tapped rapidly at the keyboard before screaming in frustration.

Check and mate.

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"Skaifaya,"said Gustus to Clarke as she sat near one of the campfires with Bellamy and Kane,"Heda, requests your presence. "

Gustus stepped a few yards away and Clarke turned to Bellamy who said,"What's going on now? Another gauntlet?"

Clarke smiled and said,"I don't know. We finished up the tactic for the battle not too long ago, but I don't think it's anything bad. I'll be fine."

Bellamy nodded and he turned back to Kane as they continued their conversation without her. Clarke though they were going to the General's tent, but she was surprised as Gustus lead her down a different path. Eventually they reached a large tent that Clarke realised must have been Lexa's tent.

Gustus stopped about fifteen metres away from the tent and Clarke paused until he gestured forward,"Heda requested privacy for this talk."

Ominous.

Clarke settled her nerves before walking towards the tent. As she reached the flap, Indra walked out and she gave Clarke a harsh look before bumping into her as she walked past.

Clarke looked at the back of the Trikru leader as she stalked off before she walked into Lexa's tent. Lexa was seated on a chair in front of a table and Clarke was surprised to realise that this was where Lexa likely slept as she took in the sight of a bed with furs across it.

"I thought you slept in the village,"said Clarke as she took in the inside of the tent.

"I had already taken all of this from Polis,"said Lexa and she gestured towards the other chair near her,"Have a seat, Clarke. "

Clarke took the offer and she sat down. Lexa held Clarke's gaze for a few seconds before she spoke,"Congratulations on your win. I do not think that I have had the chance to say this, but you fought well."

Clarke felt like there was more coming and she was proven right as Lexa said,"You impressed a lot of people. They're calling you a lot of things now like Skaifaya. It means star in Trigedasleng, but in the context that they use it means Fire from Above or Sky Fire."

That explained why Gustus hadn't addressed her by name at they very least. It was rather confusing to Clarke that the Grounders would do this, but if she remembered correctly Ontari was called the Bone Queen which was a bit on the nose for Clarke's liking.

"I see,"said Clarke before she straightened in her seat,"Why did you call me here?"

"I'm sure you saw Indra leaving my tent,"said Lexa as she began to toy with one of her knives, "Apparently, she can't use any of her powers and as it turns out that power is the very one you showed in your fight against Quint."

Clarke felt a slight pit in her stomach at the tension in the room, but she kept her features blank as she said,"Are you asking me if I stole Indra's power?"

"I'm not asking you that,"said Lexa calmly, "I'm asking you why you did not think it was important to mention that you could do that."

"Is it really that big of a deal? Has no one ever done something similar before?"asked Clarke and despite coming off as antagonistic she did genuinely wonder if it was. Surely, there was someone who had had the ability to steal powers.

"It is a big deal,"said Lexa sternly,"Not once in our history has anyone ever shown the ability to take one's power for themselves. It began as a popular myth and while I have seen instances of something similar. There has never been anything as...permanent as what you've shown."

Lexa rose from her seat and began to pace around the tent as she said,"If people realise what you can do then there will ne chaos. A lot of the clan leaders would stop at nothing to get you under their control. "

"Surely you don't think that I would ally with them?"said Clarke and she rose to her feet as Lexa stayed silent. She stepped in front of the Commander whose expression had barely changed throughout their conversation.

"Do you?"

"I don't know _what_ to think,"said Lexa with some anger in her voice, "I swore a blood oath with you despite being your status as a nightblood. I've built an alliance between our people despite the wishes of some of my own people. I thought we had an understanding. "

Clarke scoffed and said,"Do you know why I didn't tell you? I don't trust you. We agreed to work together as equals and the next day you let your generals walk all over Kane even though his ideas were good. That's not even it. Ontari is a nightblood too, but I highly doubt you swore a blood oath with her. "

Clarke's frustration was getting the better of her and she advanced on Lexa who stood still. Clarke's breaths were short and quick as she said,"I don't know how you expect me to trust you when I don't even know you. You said you don't care about your legacy, but all I see now that I'm one of your pawns to order around. A strong one at that. I'm sure that can only help you. You're cruel and self-serving, Lexa. Do you even care about anything other than yourself?"

"I do care,Clakre,"said Lexa and it was almost as if the walls and barriers that hid Lexa's thoughts were gone as Clarke could read the emotions on her face clear as day.

"You are different, Clarke,"said Lexa her eyes pinning Clarke to the spot,"I would never want to think that I don't value our partnership, but it is hard to break habits I've had since I ascended. Even after the Coalition was built, I've had to be the guide for my people. If I had shown favour to you, the clans more opposed to you would have caused an issue over nothing. Everything I do and have done has to be the option that causes the least amount of strife for my people. "

The anger had long since left Clarke's body as she listened to Lexa. They needed to air out their differences especially since they would be working close together for the foreseeable future.

"What about your happiness?"said Clarke as she stared at Lexa. Her eyes caught a flash of green and she was surprised to see the ring she had made for Lexa dangling on a short necklace.

"What about it?"said Lexa as Clarke's eyes panned back up to hers,"If my people are happy then that is enough for me. To ask for more would be selfish."

"Not if it's what you deserve, "said Clarke and she watched as her words seemed to strike a chord within Lexa.

"Maybe you're right,"said Lexa softly before her hand came up to cup Clarke's cheek. Lexa moved forward slow enough to give Clarke time to back up, but her touch electrified Clarke as she stepped forward and kissed Lexa.

It started out short, but grew heated as the sheer intensity of the moment got to them. Clarke's hands settled on Lexa's waist as she pulled the other woman closer to her. Lexa pulled Clarke even closer and Clarke let out a moan at the feelings spreading throughout her being.

Lexa seemed to freeze up as she heard Clarke's noise. She distanced herself from Clarke and she was completely silent for a few seconds as she said,"I'm sorry. We can't do this. Our people–"

Whatever Lexa was going to say was cut off as Clarke kissed her deeply again. This time they backed up against the table and Clarke lifted Lexa onto it as she deepemd their kiss. It was only as her lungs began to burn for air that Clarke moved away from Lexa.

"You need to think about yourself sometimes,"said Clarke firmly even as she tried to calm her breathing,"It's the least you deserve. "

Lexa closed her eyes as she seemed to be fighting an internal battle,"We can't be distracted. Not like this and not before a fight. Things could change after the battle. One of us could die. "

Clarke took one of Lexa's hands in her own as she said,"That's true, but that isn't different from life itself. We could die at anytime which is why the time that we do have is important. "

"Being with me would put you at risk,"said Lexa,"You being the Head General and a natblida would only make things harder. As Commander, I might have to do things you may disagree with. You–"

"I want this,"said Clarke reassuringly as she rubbed her finger over Lexa's knuckles,"All of it. You've shown me who you are aside from the Commander. You're a good person and someone I trust. However, a relationship right now wouldn't be the best."

"I see."

Lexa's eyes seemed to become colder at Clarke's words. She stepped away from Clarke and was about to walk around her when Clarke's hand pulled on her hand to halt her.

"I said not right now,"said Clarke as her eyes stated into Lexa's, "We need to be distraction free before the Mountain,"

Clarke gave Lexa a chaste kiss on the lips before saying,"The timing isn't so great, but I want you to know you're worth the risk and pains of being the Commander. It's a part of who you are and I want to be with you. "

Lexa was silent for a few seconds before she said softly,"I want that too, but you're right. We need our full attention on the Mountain and after that–"

"We'll talk,"said Clarke and Lexa pulled her hands free from Clarke's as she stepped away from the other woman.

"Okay,"said Lexa and she was about to say more when a familiar sound drew their attention.

"Missile,"said Clarke in panic and she and Lexa rushed out the tent almost barreling into Gustus who was running up the path to the tent.

"Over there,"said Lexa as she pointed towards the direction of the Mountain. There was a trail of fire that was joined by another and another and another until there were well beyond 30 live missiles in the sky in a matter of moments.

Lexa was about to run to the camp, but Clarke grabbed onto her arm and said,"Look. They're not coming here. In fact,"

"They're going straight up,"said Gustus in astonishment. The multitude of missiles simply kept travelling higher and higher into the cloudless sky and soon there were over 50 missiles that kept ascending into the evening sky.

Clarke was about to speak, but she was cut off by a series of violent explosions. Her ears were assaulted by the sound of over fifty missiles going off. The sky was consumed in fire and the explosions lasted for over a minute before the sky was empty once again. There no more missiles being launched or exploded and all was quiet.

"Why would they do that?"asked Lexa she stated off into the sky,"That must have been their entire arsenal."

"It wasn't them,"said Clarke as a smile formed on her face,"That was definitely my friends. They must have found out about the missiles and launched them which means–"

"Our army can march without fear,"said Lexa and Clarke nodded.

"Gustus,"said Lexa as she turned to her guard, "The feast is over. Tell the generals to split the army and prepare the army to march to the Mountain. "

"Tonight, we go to war."

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**Author Notes:**

**15.1K words. This chapter just wrote itself really. Usually takes me waaaaaaaay longer than this so here's an early gift I guess.**

**Monty and hacking skills for the win.**

**Now the army can march without stress.**

**A transitional chapter, but an important one. Clarke wins her Conclave, the delinquents fight back against the Mountain and Clarke and Lexa...well yeah.**

**I hope you enjoyed the fight scenes in this chapter. The feedback on last chapters fight were all great and I really am grateful. I did my best to write up that scene with Lexa. I'm not a romance writer so sorry if it's not up to par, but I feel like it was decent at the very least.**

** I don't know when next the chapter will be released, but I do know that it will be heavy. Things aren't meant to be straightforward in life and believe you me things will not go well.**

**As always, tell me what you thought of the chapter. I love to hear your thoughts and feel free to drop your suggestions, theories and etc.**

**Song rec(s):**

**Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird**

**Metric - Synthetica**


	15. Guile

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Raven groaned as the fog of unconsciousness faded away from her mind. Raven tried to rise up, but a sharp pain in her left leg halted any and all movements on her part. A few curse words escaped her mouth and her eyes snapped open from the pain flowing through her body.

She was greeted with the sight of bright fluorescent lights above her and when she tried to sit up– this time without the use of her leg– she was horrified to feel cold metal dig into her wrists. It was a chilling moment when Raven realised she was bound to a table with metal cuffs on her wrists and ankles.

Her neck was left unbound and so she was able to lift her head up just slightly. She looked at her left knee and she had to hold in a sob at the sight of the mangled flesh. Bits of metal protruded from her knee and the pain from earlier returned as Raven's head dropped back to the table.

"Fuck,"said Raven as tears threatened to escape from her eyes. The pain in her leg unlike anything she had ever known. The pain was so encompassing that she blotted out almost everything in the room that she was in. Raven was sure she was going to break down any second, but a lifeline was given to her.

"Raven?"said a voice that Raven was struggling to place,"Raven, it's Octavia. Are you awake?"

Raven was able to distract herself from the pain for the moment. Octavia's voice sounded weird almost as if the girl was far away and her voice had a slight echo like quality.

Strange.

Raven ignored it as she said,"Yeah, I'm awake. Where's Monty? Did the Mountain Men get him too?"

Octavia was silent and yet Raven heard murmurs and shuffling. She opened her eyes and this time purposefully looked away from her knee and instead surveyed the room.

"What the hell?"said Raven slowly as she took in the sight of various cages in a room far larger than Raven had anticipated. There were large rectangular cages in the room. They were relatively small and were arranged in rows on top of one another. Raven cursed, but it wasn't the sight of the cages that angered her, but the contents of the cages..

Panic began to fill Raven as she panned her eyes over the cages even as her neck began to ache from being held up so long. Jasper. Monty. Miller. Harper. Monroe. The faces of some of the other delinquents were recognisable to her like Mbege and Trina despite their emaciated bodies.

"What the hell happened, Octavia?"said Raven loudly and her voice reverberated through the room,"They were supposed to keep the other citizens safe. How could they lose?"

Before Octavia could even muster a reply, the door to the room opened with a soft hiss. Raven turned towards it and she growled, partly in anger and partly in pain, as she took in the sight of a woman with black hair walk in. Raven was able to read the doctor's name tag as she stepped closer to her.

Lorelei Tsing.

"Your friends put up a decent fight if what Cage said is to be believed, "said Lorelei as she made eye contact with Raven whose head had dropped back down to the surface she was on, "In the end, though, I heard all it took to quash your 'rebellion' were some double agents. It is truly pathetic that you guys thought you could turn so many of our people against us. Did you really think that many people were willing to rebel with a bunch of teenagers?"

Raven closed her eyes as Lorelei's taunting voice echoed out through the room. The sound of metal clinking behind her made Raven nervous as she wondered what the doctor was doing.

"Go float yourself, "said Octavia and it was only now that Raven was able to place the girl's voice as coming from behind her. There was a rattling sound that punctuated the end of Octavia's words and Raven sighed as she realised Octavia was definitely in a cage as well.

"How crude,"said Lorelei as she finally stopped moving around behind Raven,"You remind me of that Murphy boy when we first found him. Do all people of the Ark have such foul mouths or is it only the scum like you?"

A stream of curse words erupted from Octavia's mouth and the girl began to violently beat on the bars of her cage. The sound of something being extended drew Raven's attention before a loud zapping sound emanated from behind her.

Octavia let out a scream as the shock baton was held against her before she fainted after a few seconds. The sound of her collapsing sounded out through the room before silence reigned once again. Lorelei was behind Raven and as the doctor picked something up Raven waited for the right moment to strike.

Lorelei walked back into Raven's sight and the woman soon hovered over Raven's open palm. Raven did not hesitate for a second as she splayed her fingers before firing a beam of energy into Lorelei.

Or at least she tried to.

Raven felt confusion well up within her as her powers failed to activate and even her X-ray vision was not working at all. Lorelei seemed to read the confusion on Raven's face as she said,"We're not so stupid, Raven. We wouldn't keep you captive if we couldn't control you. Why else are your friends still locked in their cages?"

Raven closed her eyes as the seriousness of the situation dawned on her. It was likely that all of the delinquents had been subdued and had their powers locked away. Furthermore, if the Mountain Men were willing to just leave them in cages then it was likely they were confident in whatever measure it was that kept their powers locked away.

"Where are the rebels?"said Raven as she realised that she had not see Maya, nor Murphy come to think of it,"Are they locked up too?"

Lorelei chuckled and it was a dark and vile thing,"No. They're probably dead from radiation exposure. It's a shame your fake drill provided us with the perfect cover up. All of the rebels –including those in the nursery and their children – are dead. The only way to take out a weed is from the root. Don't worry about Maya she's still alive. Just like all of your friends, she's very special to us."

Raven opened her eyes and a pit formed in her stomach as she saw Lorelei holding a drill in her hand. The doctor smiled at Raven's fear filled expression as she said,"Your bone marrow will get us back to the ground. It's not anything personal Raven, but it is necessary. These are orders from the top and what Dante wants Dante gets. "

"You're going to lose,"said Raven even as the drill began to spin rapidly, "Clarke and the Commander's army will kill all of you. Your missiles are gone and soon you'll be outnumbered and outgunned."

Lorelei's smirk dropped for a second and the drill turned off as she said,"You poor soul. This used to be a government facility. If you thought those missiles were our only defense then think again. Once the army gets here their blood will soak the forests around us. Nothing and no one will stop us from our salvation not some Commander not some army and definitely not some girl with a few powers. They will all die before us and soon the ground will be ours again."

"You monster,"said Raven angrily even as worry began to fester in her mind.

The sound of the drill grew louder as it drew closer to Raven's hip before a hoarse shriek joined the sound as it began to eat away at Raven's flesh before boring into her bone.

The screams grew louder in intensity, but Lorelei wasn't worried as the residents had all been sequestered in the dining hall a few levels away from her. Dante had revealed what was going to be done to the delinquents and true to Lorelei's expectations the citizens had all been in agreement.

They had spent far too long dwelling in the bowels of the Mountain while barbarians had the openness of the Earth available to them.

There had been vocal disagreement at first, but they had been drowned our by the overwhelming support for the bone marrow extraction. The need to return to Earth far outweighed any morality they had left.

It was finally their time to take back the Earth.

They had been denied their chance once before and this time they would take their chance with both hands.

"Don't worry,"said Lorelei over the sound of the drill,"This will all be over soon."

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"How has the advance party fared so far?"asked Lexa as she turned to Sagan. The Trishanakru general was standing with his eyes closed as he stood with Lexa and Clarke at the head of their parties.

The young man's face was crunched up in concentration as he seemed to focus intently on something. Sweat began to bead down his forehead and his skin began to turn a shade of pink before he suddenly relaxed.

"Indra reports that her and Mason have been navigating the tunnels with Anya's help,"said Sagan lowly as the slight exhaustion he was going through deepened his voice,"There were minimal casualties amongst our people due to the traps set up by the Delfikru and Erid with her sand. A few reapers are hurt, but Mason believes that there are not any Reapers left in the caves. The majority of the party is already en route to Camp Jaha along with the subdued Ripas. The plants from the Yujleda and Trishanakru will keep them sedated long enough for them to reach Camp Jaha. "

Five of the thirteen generals as well as their units of the army had been assigned to the reaper extraction teams. The whole task was headed up by Indra and Mason who were backed up by Erid, Trent and Livia. Mason had the ability to sense the amount of people around her and so she had been an obvious choice to work with Indra who had the most experience with the Reapers.

Kane had also been assigned to the extraction team because the curing and detoxification of the Reapers was meant to take place at Camp Jaha and without him there things would likely get tricky.

An army of Grounders with tied up Reapers was something Clarke believed would not be well received by the Arkers.

"What about the Mountain Men?"said Clarke and she took her time to scan the woods for a few seconds. They were fast approaching the stage where she would split off from the main army to head for the tunnels along with about 30 other people.

They were to meet with Anya who would remain at the caves waiting for them while the reaper extraction team made for Camp Jaha or joined the main army. The reaper extraction had gone off without a hitch, but what bugged Clarke was the lack of resistance from the Mountain Men.

The Reapers were their foot soldiers so why would they allow them to be taken?

"Indra says that there have been no sightings of any Mountain Men even at a door that they believe leads into the Mountain,"said Sagan as he relayed the words of the leader of the Trikru.

Lexa glanced at Clarke at the mention of Indra's name and Clarke fought a smile as she remembered the storm of emotions that she had fone through earlier in Lexa's tent. If it hadn't been for Indra's complaint it was likely that Clarke wouldn't have had a chance at...whatever was going on between her and Lexa.

In any case, Clarke had given Indra her light manipulation back, but much like Octavia's invisibility Clarke could still use it which was something she intended to keep it secret for as long as she could. If Indra and Lexa's reactions were anything to go off of then it would paint a target on her back to say the least.

"Very well,"said Lexa before she turned to the gathered warriors behind her and gave the signal to continue marching. The remaining generals had all been given command of a smaller section of the army and they had been instructed to make their way to the Mountain. The Mountain may have lost the majority, if not all, of their missiles, but it wouldn't do for the majority of the army to be packed together.

The Mountain Men still had machine guns and rocket launchers that would cause a lot of collateral damage and so splitting the army up made the most sense. They continued walking in the dead of night and Clarke spared a few glances to Lexa whose warpaint was visible under the light from the torches the Grounders held.

Clarke's own warpaint felt cool on her own skin and she was sure she cut a rather intimidating figure. Her armour reflected the light off the flame and for a change Clarke felt no fear before a fight. A hot fire burned in her chest and filled her with confidence. Her friends needed her help and she would do absolutely everything in her power to rescue them.

The sound of footsteps speeding up behind her drew her attention and Clarke glanced to the side to see Bellamy in the uniform of the Guard. He did not have a gun, but that was probably for the best since it would have only gotten in the way.

"Do you really think the tunnels will be safe?"said Bellamy as he caught up to her,"These guys just let us take the Reapers with no problem whatsoever and this is after they lost the majority of their missiles. I don't know it just feels like–"

"A trap,"finished Clarke calmly before she added,"It probably is one, but it's a chance we'll have to take. The main army will make such a stink at the front door that we should go undetected. If anything, the tunnels are the safer bet at the moment. "

"Do you think we'll win?"asked Bellamy after a few moments of silence,"These guys have been fighting the Grounders for years on end and despite smaller numbers they've been winning this whole time. What makes it different this time?"

"This time we have someone who knows the Mountain inside out,"said Clarke as she tapped the side of her head,"I know the layout of the majority of the Mountain thanks to my technopathy and even got people on the inside too. There's no way we can lose."

It sounded arrogant, but Clarke did believe that they had a good chance of taking down the Mountain Men once and for all. Without their missiles, acid fog or Reapers the Mountain Men were sitting ducks. Once they got inside Mount Weather then it would be the end of Dante and his people.

They walked in silence for perhaps a half hour before Lexa raised her hand to stop their advance. She walked towards Clarke and Bellamy and even in the dark of night Lexa still looked as intimidating as always.

"Sagan,"said Lexa and the general walked up to Lexa almost immediately, "Summon Anya here."

Clarke was confused by this and she turned to Sagan who seemed equally confused before his eyes closed in concentration. Clarke turned her eyes back to Lexa whose face was calm, but there seemed to be some sort of turmoil in her eyes as she looked between Bellamy and Clarke.

If Clarke didn't know better she would say that Lexa looked–

"Heda,"said Anya as she appeared in a burst of smoke,"Why have I been summoned? I was under the impression Clarke would meet me at the entrance to the caves."

"There's been a change of plans,"said Lexa as she turned towards her mentor,"You shall lead the forces bound for the Mountain to their destination. I shall go with Clarke and her unit to infiltrate the Mountain via the tunnels."

"Heda with all due respect–"said Sagan somewhat timidly, but he was silenced by Lexa who raised a hand.

"My people have been forced in cages and bled dry like animals by the Maunon,"said Lexa as she lowered her hand to her sword,"It is my duty as Heda to free them. I have made my decision. Anya will lead and Sagan you shall be her second-in-command. Is that understood?"

Anya and Sagan both nodded, but Clarke couldn't help, but notice the way Sagan's fist tightened before relaxing. Her attention was taken away from that, however, as Anya spoke up.

"We were not able to get all of the Reapers,"said Anya with some annoyance in her voice,"There were some that had not been in the caves. The party had already left when they came back and they were far too many for even me to take on at once. They were about 30 in number."

"Did they have any hostages?"said Clarke and Anya nodded gravely.

"A few children with who I can only assume were their parents,"said Anya as she shook her head in disgust,"They were not warriors and seemed to be a mix of various clans like Louwoda Kilron and Floukru."

Clarke sighed heavily at that. It seemed as though that the Mountain Men clearly didn't seem to want to stop gathering Grounders even though the bone marrow of Skaikru could cure them. Perhaps it was intended as a stop gap until they could finally cure everyone of their weakness to radiation.

"I see,"said Lexa before she turned to the army and raised her voice,"Warriors of the Coalition, Anya shall lead you to the gates of the Maunon. I am going to the Reaper tunnels with Clarke and her unit. Treat Anya's word as my own. Sagan is her second-in-command. If Anya falls, his word is law. Clarke's unit, we leave now."

The gathered warriors were seemingly content with Lexa's decision and there didn't seem to be any discontent amongst the ranks if the silence was anything to go off of. The group of thirty or so warriors that were Clarke's unit gathered around her, Lexa and Bellamy and Lexa turned to Clarke as she said,"We have wasted enough time. We need to move."

Clarke nodded and she began walking in the direction that she knew would lead her to the caves. Lexa was walking by her side and it was almost symbolic that she and Lexa were walking side by side as equals. A testament to the oath they had made in Lexa's tent just a few days ago.

The march to the caves could not have taken longer than 20 minutes as they took care to avoid any potential traps and snares. They were perhaps 15 minutes away from the cave mouth when Lexa paused in her step.

Clarke did not notice at first and she kept walking for a few steps until she realised Lexa was not at her side. She turned towards Lexa and she was confused to see that Lexa seemed to be distracted by something. Her eyes lacked any focus, but there were still minute twitches across her brow.

"Lexa?"said Clarke as she walked closer to the other woman,"What's wrong?"

Lexa seemed to snap out of her daze once Clarke spoke as she said,"On your guard. Sagan reported some sort of attack from the Mountain. They reached the meeting point with the other warriors, but the Mountain must have been watching somehow. They launched the attack not even thirty seconds ago."

There was immediate silence after Lexa's statement as everyone prepared for an attack. Clarke wanted a better understanding of what was going on and she was about to fly up into the sky when a scream drew her attention.

"In the sky!"shouted a young boy with a sword in his hand,"A missile!"

Clarke's blood ran cold at the boy's words and she looked to the sky in panic. To her dismay, four massive shells of metal were headed their way at a speed far beyond any other missile Clarke had seen. Clarke knew that she didn't have time to deflect one, let alone all four, so she shouted loud above the noise of panicking voices.

"Everyone come closer to me!"yelled Clarke and the Grounders didn't even hesitate as they all huddled closer to Clarke.

She closed her eyes and raised her hands up to the sky. Bellamy must have been next to her as he said lowly,"What's your plan, Clarke?"

Clarke ignored him and as the missiles drew closer her eyes snapped open emitting a dark blue light. A dome of dark blue psionic energy formed around the entire group of warriors and a few seconds later the ground rumbled as the missiles made contact with the ground.

There were many screams of shock amongst the warriors as the missiles hit the ground, but Clarke waited until the tremors died down before dropping her dome. There was still some smoke in the air and Clarke released a burst of air that blew all of the smoke away revealing the damage caused by the missiles.

"What the hell?"said Bellamy as he took in the sight around them.

Clarke could not agree more.

The 'missiles' were not missiles at all. Surrounding the warriors in a diamond formation were large hunks of metal. They were reminiscent of a rectangular prism with various lines engraved into it.

Clarke was immediately suspicious of the metallic husks as she said,"No one move. They might explode as soon we go near them."

Clarke activated her technopathy to sense if the husks were active, but she was distracted for a few seconds as she detected something with a level of complexity that far exceeded anything Clarke had encountered before. It even overshadowed the husks in front of her and Clarke was confused when she tracked it's source.

Lexa.

Her neck to be precise.

Clarke snapped her gaze to Lexa who looked at her almost immediately. The commander seemed to read the confusion on Clarke's face as she said,"What's wrong?"

Clarke was about to respond when Bellamy's voice cut her off.

"Eligius?"said Bellamy as he pointed to the centre of the husk opposite him and Clarke,"What is that supposed to mean?"

Clarke traced the path of his finger and true to his word the words Eligius Corporation were engraved onto the surface of the husk. A strange symbol of a shining star surrounded by two rings one horizontal and the other vertical.

"I don't know,"said Clarke as she took in the symbol before turning to Lexa,"Can't you destroy these with your powers?"

Lexa shook her head grimly as she said,"I have been trying that this whole time. I do not know what these things do, but what I do know is that they are not made of metal."

Clarke's discomfort went up a notch at Lexa's words and she was about to speak when a flicker of light drew her attention. She turned towards one of the husks and she was surprised to see the logo of the Eligius Corporation turn a radiant blue.

A few seconds later, all four of the logos on the husks were glowing a bright blue. The sound of groaning drew their attention before suddenly the husks began to move.

Clarke raised a psionic dome over the entire group and they watched in silence as the husks began to change. The strange substance they were made off seemed to melt and morph as the husks grew in size. What looked like arms and legs emerged from the torso of the husks before a head rose slowly from the top.

The husks had begun to grow high above their heads as they changed into an increasingly humanoid shape complete with arms and legs and even the torso seemed to be tapered like a human's.

They continued to grow to such a size that Clarke was forced to crane her neck upwards to see the top of the strange thing opposite her. They finally stopped growing as they lost their fluid appearance and returned to a solid state of matter. The robots were a dull silver and they stood at over double their height.

Suddenly, a cold and rather smug voice emanated from the object opposite her,"Clarke Griffin, I see you've been busy."

That voice sounded familiar.

Clarke's dome was still covering their group and she could feel the eyes of everyone else on her. She spared a glance to Lexa and Bellamy, but before she could say anything to either of them she was cut off by the voice of who she now recognised to be that of Cage Wallace.

"Don't look at them for help,"said Cage with an almost chastising hint to his voice,"You didn't need help to destroy our acid fog and kill over 10 of our guards with that other woman."

"What do you want Cage?"said Clarke with irritation clear in her voice.

"I'm here to give you one last chance,"said Cage and the sheer confidence in his voice needles Clarke ever so slightly,"Call off the army and come into the Mountain alone. Heal my people and I'll give you yours and then we have peace. We stake claim to the land surrounding the Mountain for fifteen miles and that will be that. What do you say Clarke?"

Clarke was unsure. At first glance, this was the right call. There would be minimal bloodshed and everyone would be at peace. She felt the gaze of both Bellamy and Lexa settle on her and she knew what they both would want to have her do.

Bellamy would want her to take the deal and Lexa would want to fight. It was as simple as that. However, she could not make a deal based on Cage's words alone.

"I don't trust you,"said Clarke curtly,"Prove to me that my friends are alright then I'll give you my answer."

There was no response from Cage, but a few seconds later a hologram was being projected from the robot's chest. Clarke's heart quickened as she watched a video of the delinquents being guided into a room one by one and then loaded into cages. She felt Bellamy twitch beside her as Octavia's unconscious form was dragged in looking battered, but alive.

The last person to be loaded in was Raven who seemed to be the worst off of everyone as her knee looked mangled and bled profusely. Clarke felt her finger dig deeply into her palm as she took in Raven's condition and she couldn't stop the rage bleeding into her voice as she said,"What happened to Raven?"

"Oh,"said Cage as if Clarke's anger was inconsequential, "She and two of her friends thought it would be wise to launch all of our missiles probably to make way for your army. It's a shame they didn't know about the Guardians. In any case, there was a bit of an...accident in subduing her. It's nothing fatal, but I imagine she'll find it rather difficult to walk again."

Clarke was aware of her breathing becoming gradually louder and heavier as she said,"What about the other Arkers you caught? The ones from the other camp? Where are the rest of them?"

"I think you know,"said Cage calmly,"Look Clarke, we've killed some of your people and you've killed some of ours. Let's let bygones be bygones. We've practically been at war since we let the Exodus ship land. "

Clarke froze as she processed Cage's words and a flare of purple energy burst from her as she said,"What do you mean you let the Exodus ship land?"

"We made contact with Diana Sydney and after she identified herself we allowed her to land,"said Cage seemingly unaware of Clarke's growing anger despite being able to see her,"My father and I were originally going to let her land then kill her with a missile, but then she told us all about you and the Novus serum coursing through your veins. We were going to raid your camp a little earlier after your meeting with her, but we lost contact. Imagine my surprise when one of our captives claims to have spoken with Dante and Cage Wallace.."

"You were working with Diana?"said Clarke slowly again and she felt blood drip down her hand as multiple memories flew through her head.

The rancid smell of hydrazine. The crumpled and battered shape of the Exodus ship. Diana smiling as if she hadn't condemned thousands to death on the Ark and finally a flash of green light punching through a girl's chest.

"Yes,"said Cage,"However, we let her rot in the cages once we found out she didn't–"

Whatever Cage was going to say was cut off as enormous spikes of rock burst through the Guardian he was speaking from and tore it asunder. The shreds of the robot reverted to a liquid state as they began to crawl together, but Clarke dropped her dome and raised both her hands. A second later, twin blasts of ice shot out her hands and froze the pieces of the Guardian instantly.

Clarke kept her hands up even as she tried to control her uneven breathing. A hand on her shoulder drew her attention and she turned to Bellamy who said,"Clarke, you need to calm down. You being angry and off balance won't help anyone, but them. Just know whatever choice you make I'm with you."

Clarke listened to Bellamy as she slowly composed herself. Once she had recovered, she turned towards Lexa whose eyes were practically bubbling with emotions. Clarke was about to speak, but she was cut off as Cage's voice emanated from one of the Guardians behind her.

"Well done on destroying one of our Guardians,"said Cage and this time the cockiness and smugness was gone from his voice,"Let's be honest here, Clarke. Do you really trust the Grounders? "

There were growls and curses that came from the Grounders all around Clarke. A few even raised their bow and arrows before firing at the Guardian. This time, however, the arrows simply ricocheted off the shell of the robot. The Grounders were about to charge, but Lexa raised her hand.

"I did not allow you to attack,"said Lexa to her subordinates who immediately stood down after Lexa's admonition.

"Well if it isn't Heda Lexa kom Trikru, "said Cage surprising them all with his use of Trigedasleng, "I heard you were supposed to be wise and benevolent and yet here you are, another Commander, looking to kill our leader once again."

It wasn't so much Cage's words as it was the way Lexa seemed to tense up at his words. Lexa's hand was firmly on her sword and Clarke was sure she could see something shifting underneath Lexa's other sleeve.

"What are you talking about?"said Clarke as she turned away from Lexa which Clarke could tell was looking at her now,"You guys killed the army of the fifth Commander. Hundreds of people dead before they could even get inside."

Clarke's words caused somewhat of a stir amongst the Grounders present and they whispered back and forth in Trigedasleng. Clarke turned over her shoulder and she was confused when the Grounders hushed up and seemed to avoid her eye as she turned her gaze toward them. A quick glance to Lexa seemed to draw the same result as she staunchly refused to acknowledge Clarke's eyes on her.

"Is that what you were told?"said Cage drawing Clarke's attention back to the robot,"Yes, we did destroy the army, but only after the Commander and a few Grounders snuck into our Mountain and killed every man, woman and child immune to the radiation that lived in the Mountain. "

"You're lying,"said Clarke firmly as she raised her hands to the Guardian opposite her,"You just want to buy time for extracting the bone marrow from my people. I have no reason to trust you or care about what happened to you. All I want is my people to be safe."

"Clarke, this does not need to happen, "said a different voice, Dante, Clarke realised almost immediately. There was some background noise from who she assumed to be Cage before Dante's voice spoke up again.

"What my son was trying to tell you, albeit in a coarse and blundering manner is that the people you have allied with are not nearly as innocent as they play themselves out to be,"said Dante his calm voice a strong contrast to Cage's arrogance,"It was their Commander who gave the order to kill all of our immune as well as our leader. They took her out the Mountain to the front gate and all we could was watch as they cut into her body before killing her. It was then and only then that we used our missiles to decimate their army. "

Clarke was silent as she felt herself being pulled in various directions by Dante's revelations. Anya had only spoken about how the Grounders had been decimated without setting foot into the Mountain and yet Dante spoke about how that had only been done in retaliation for an attack on their leader.

However, the past did not explain nor excuse the Mountain Men's current actions.

"How can I trust you?"said Clarke coolly after a few moments of silence,"You've locked up their people and bled them for generations. Is that also because of your leader dying? You act as if you haven't dirtied your hands yet you're the one whose holding our people hostage to drain out their bone marrow. You've converted hundreds of Grounders into Reapers forcing them to fight and abduct thousands of their loved ones for years and years. I refuse to work with someone like you."

"We did what was necessary to obtain those immune to the radiation,"said Dante slowly as if his every word was a struggle to get out,"The Mountain was degrading at a rapid rate and it was only a matter of time before my people all died. We sacrificed all that we stood for and in the end we got a lifeline that would have ensured our survival in the form of the immune ."

Dante's tone had begun to shift throughout his speech and the veneer of poise and assured ness faded away as his voice began to rise.

"We were so close...So close to salvation, "declared Dante as his frustration and anger finally bled into his voice,"Then those immune to the radiation killed all of the immune and only those who were immune. At the time we did not have any trained fighters. Our weapons were useless and once they were inside we could do nothing, but watch as they were all killed at the behest of their Commander. Any who opposed were cut down ruthlessly be it by a blade, spear or flames. That's not to mention the many who had perished from the radiation that had been brought in by those monsters. It was after all of this that we dedicated ourselves to prepare for war."

Dante took a few breaths before continuing to speak," None of our people had ever manifested any powers so we knew we had to turn to the thing that had kept us alive so far."

"Technology. "

"We already had the missiles and Guardians, but we knew we could not waste their power. We built radiation suits and the Veil. We established a Guard. Soon, we had everything we needed in case of an invasion. The people at the time were clamouring for a counterstrike, but we were too few in number and what's more the radiation suits could still be compromised. We needed a solution and we soon found it."

"Blood,"said Clarke with no trace of doubt in her voice,"You used their blood to blot out the effects of the lingering radiation in the Mountain and you make the reapers addicted to drugs so they can do toir dirty work for you so you never have to compromise your own people. "

"Indeed,"said Dante before adding,"We wanted revenge and we knew that the only way they would feel the same terror and hopelessness we felt was to make them fight their own people. It's a shame that the drug we synthesised had negative effects on the mind and body of the subjects, but it was a necessary sacrifice. We were wronged. We wanted our revenge and then some more. It became our way and ethos. Blood–"

"–must have blood,"finished Clarke much to the discomfort of those around her.

"You see Clarke,"said Dante with a much warmer tone,"We aren't so different after all. Join us. Your people will be safe. Let bygones be bygones and together our people can finally be safe. Isn't that what we want?"

It was what she wanted. Her people deserved to be safe and whose to say the Grounders wouldn't attack the Arkers like they had the Mountain Men? They already had. If it hadn't been for Clarke her people would have been killed. Yes, the Mountain Men had launched a missile, but was that any different from Lexa's attack on Camp Jaha.

The Mountain Men had old world knowledge and superior technology to the Grounders. They would be able to establish a new order. One that was different from the brutal one that had forced her to fight eleven skilled warriors on the bounce just to be heard.

In fact, it wouldn't be hard for her to beat the Commander now. She was already a black blood and if she could kill the Commamder then she could win the Conclave rather–

A hand on Clarke's shoulder shook her from her daze and she turned to face Bellamy whose eyes seemed guarded.

"Clarke,"said Bellamy as he stepped away from her,"Look around you."

Clarke did as she was told and she was surprised to see arrows of green light floating inches away from the heads of every Grounder. Clarke immediately dispelled the light constructs and she looked at her hands in confusion before the realisation struck her.

"Dante,"said Clarke lowly,"That was you wasn't it?"

A chill seemed to settle into the air rather quickly as ice began to spread from Clarke's feet. The Grounders recognised it for what it was as they all took out their weapons.

Dante was silent before he said,"I see you have made your choice despite my...urging. Very well, know this Clarke. We will leave the Mountain tonight. It could have been by your doing, but now we'll just have to scrape your friends dry. "

The Eligius logo that was on all of the Guardians' chest changed from bright blue to a deep red. There seemed to be the sound of whirring and other various mechanical noises before a robotic voice spoke up.

"Combat mode initiated."

"Good luck with defeating the Guardians, Clarke,"said Dante his voice cool and calm,"These were considered to be the pinnacle of weapons. Even more so then Darah Sydney's nanobots. I'm sorry it had it to come to this, but you have left us no choice."

Dante's voice disappeared and there was silence for a few seconds before Clarke was forced to move.

!*

Clarke sprung into a backflip as Instinct launched over the heads of everyone else before landing up in the branches. A second later, a spear attached to a cable slammed into her previous position sending the gathered warriors into a frenzy.

One of the Guardians raised it's hand which was clenched into a fist. Clarke watched in equal parts horror and fascination as the barrel of a gun emerged from the top of the robot's wrist before she launched herself at the robot.

She was able to get to the arm and adjust it's aim. The bullets shot safely over the heads of the Grounders and instead tore into the trees around them. The thick branches and trunks were ripped to shreds as the powerful rounds tore into them and Clarke was straining with all her might to keep the clearly dangerous bullets away from her unit.

!*

Instinct tried to force her to move, but for once Clarke was able to overpower the urge to move as she tried instead to rip the arm of the robot off even as it continued to fire bullets at an alarming rate. This turned out to be the wrong course of action as Clarke's muscles locked up as a powerful wave of electricity ran through her system.

The shell of the Guardian had released a powerful burst of electricity that forced her to only increase her grip on the arm of the robot. The stream of electricity died down and Clarke sagged down almost immediately. Sheturned her head towards the rest of the robot, but she was greeted by the sight of it's other fist bearing down her.

The impact rattled Clarke. She heard the sound of a thunder clap before she was sent flying upwards through the branches from the sheer strength of the blow. Her ascent through the branches was stopped by a particularly sturdy branch before she began to fall towards Earth.

Branches whipped at her face and tore at her as she descended. Clarke felt her body begin to accelerate and she just able to raise her hands as she emerged from the canopy. A large expulsion of air from her hands slowed her descent and she slammed into the ground hard, but not especially injured from what she could feel.

Clarke was forced to reassess her diagnosis as waves of pain registered in her brain as soon as she tried to rise. She rolled onto the back and bit back a whimper as she took in the sight of her broken arms. Her left was also bent the wrong way and she closed her eyes to blot out the horrifying injuries.

The sensation of all encompassing pain began to wane as her healing kicked into actions and a few minutes later she was able to rise . Clarke's eyes immediately morphed into a bright yellow before large wings emerged from her back.

Clarke immediately took off through to the sky as she bobbed and weaved through the branches of the various trees. She emerged through the top of the forest and her eyes were almost immediately able to spot the flashes of gunfire that must have belonged to the Guardians.

She flew as fast as she could towards it and as she reached just above the location she was given a front row seat to a man hiding behind a rock wall getting hit with a miniature rocket. The explosion was smaller than expected, but Clarke didn't even bother with checking on the man.

He was definitely dead.

It seemed as though the three Guardians had spread out and from what she could tell this one had already killed about fifteen of her unit. There were fires all across the clearing and the ground was littered with craters as well as what looked like walls that were blown to pieces which signified someone had been using earthen walls to keep the Guardian at bay.

Clarke clenched her fist as the sight of so many people dead, under her command no less. She landed in the clearing heavily and the Guardian turned to her almost immediately. It raised both of it's hands in an eerily familiar motion before a veritable sea of flames emerged from it's hands.

Clarke stomped down in the ground and a wall of earth rose up between her and the flames. The wall did a good job of stopping the flames, but the heat was still able to permeate through it. Clarke waited for the heat of the flames to lower before she struck.

She jumped over the wall and landed right in front of the Guardian. The robot towered over her and she had to dash all over the place to avoid the bullets and grenades being shot towards her. This continued for a bit longer before a dull explosion from further away drew her attention.

She had to end this.

Clarke kept dodging the bullets, but this time she instead ran towards the Guardian. The bullets languidly moved past her as she raced towards the robot at full speed. Her hands sparkled with electricity before she slowed to a halt right behind the robot .

The robot didn't seem to notice her running between it's legs until it was too late luckily for her. Clarke jumped up and she landed on the shoulders of the robot. She immediately clenched her legs around the neck of the robot before plunging her hands into it's head.

Smoke and sparks emanated from the robot's head burning and shocking Clarke. She was about to try something new when it's eyes faded from their sinister red to a dull grey. The Eligius logo flickered for a few seconds before disappearing completely. Clarke waited for a few more seconds to see if it was a trick, but nothing of the sort happened.

Clarke removed her hands from the robot before she jumped off of it. The robot didn't even budge from her moving off of it as it stayed standing upright. Clarke eyed the robot before a very large crash sounded out through the air.

Clarke was about to go and investigate when she saw a flash of red light out the corner of her eye.

!*

A harpoon was launched at her back, but she was able to turn on time and catch the spear. The Guardian seemed to lay idle for a few seconds before it retracted the harpoon. Clarke held onto the spear as she was reeled in and she tried not to worry about how everyone else was getting on with their own fights.

She had her own problems.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He should have just ran.

That was the best move. That was the survivor's move.

Murphy had deeply and seriously considered running. Everything had gone to shit. The rebellion was dead in the water. Raven, Octavia and Momty were no longer in control of the command centre and the room with the delinquents had been inundated with those knockout gas canisters. That would not have been so bad if some of the Mountain people hadn't turned traitor and forced the delinquents to fight against the traitors inside and the guards outside.

He had bundled himself into a supply closet when he had heard the sound of reinforcements coming and in short order everyone in the room not loyal to the Mountain had been subdued. The civilians were still in there judging by the conversation that filtered in from the vents.

Murphy wasn't sure what about to happen to them, but he knew it could not be any good. Murphy clearly had two options.

He could stay in this closet until a winning side emerged and try make his escape or he could join a side right now and bank on it being the winning side. The idea of finally leaving the cramped closet after who knows how long was tempting, but it was with cold logic that he conceded that the Mountain had orders to shoot him on sight if he was lucky and stick him in a cage if he was unlucky.

The sound of a woman screaming almost made him leave his room especially as he recognised who it was.

"Come on Glen,"said Maya her voice a bit muffled, but there seemed to be some sort of struggle,"You know this is wrong! We went to school together...are you really just going to throw me in the cages?"

Murphy really wanted to bust through the door and rescue Maya, but he knew that from there they would be overrun and quite possibly killed so he held off on helping her. She may have removed the chip, but that didn't mean he owed her his life. He was grateful, but not that grateful.

"Orders are orders, Maya,"said who Murphy assumed was Glen,"You would have been killed if it weren't for your blood, but since we're about to have some vacancies in the cages soon enough Cage wanted you alive. Don't worry it will all be over soon."

Maya's shouts and screams grew louder as they went past Murphy and at one stage there was a loud thump as Glen slammed Maya into the door Murphy was hiding behind.

"Look,"said Glen slowly,"Your little friend from the sky is coming with an army of those savages. We sent out the Guardians to kill them and soon the people of Mount Weather will have the lay of the land. Even if they get inside their powers will be useless. Things are different from back then. Now let's go. Apparently you're next on the list after those kids that got in the command centre. Dr Tsing is already done with one of them for now so you better keep up."

The weight of Maya was suddenly off of the door and the sound of her struggling faded as she got further and further away from the storeroom. It was only once the sound had completely faded away that Murphy released a breath.

He was pushing his luck as it was. In another world that door would have slammed open and he would be marched away to have his bones sucked dry.

It was definitely time to get out of dodge.

Murphy grabbed onto the cool metal of the gun Raven had given him as he tried to activate his mimicry armour. However much to his dismay, his skin didn't take on the properties of the gun.

"What the hell?"said Murphy as he tried again and again to no avail.

It was after his tenth and final attempt that he put his gun away. Glen's words to Maya were now ringing in his head.

"Even if they get inside their powers will be useless,"he muttered as he slid down to a sitting position and stared upwards.

"Fantastic. "

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Where the hell was Clarke when you needed her?

That was what going through Bellamy's mind as he and two other Grounders, both from the Yujleda if he was not mistaken, played keep away with the giant robot. They had already lost two of their own to missiles and it was taking everything in their power to stay alive.

Bellamy watched from his position behind a tree as large rocks slammed into the robot courtesy of one of the other warriors – Han. The robot stumbled back into one of the trees at which point the other Grounder, Anna, dropped from the trees and slammed her sword into the face of the robot.

Anna flipped off the front of the robot and Bellamy walked out from behind the tree as the movements of the robot gradually began to still. The woman had landed a bit heavily on the ground and Bellamy offered a hand which she took. The woman tried to stand up fully, but she hunched over as she tried to put weight on her left leg.

"We need to get to Heda,"said Anna slowly as she ignored the pain she was in as Han also came closer to them,"It would be best if we could lend her our aid so we can regroup, but I'm afraid I won't be of much help."

"You guys go,"said Bellamy as he turned towards the direction Clarke was sent flying,"I have to find Clarke. She is the one who knows how to navigate the Mountain best and we need her to locate the entrance into the prisoners cell."

That was another thing. The leftover Reapers were probably lurking in the caves as it was and they couldn't just leave them in there. The idea of being made addicted to a drug and forced into servitude made Bellamy feel queasy.

"Okay,"said Han as he finally spoke up,"Anna and I will find Heda and you shall search for Skaifaya. We shall reconvene –"

Whatever Han was going to say was cut off as a spear burst through his abdomen. The tip of the spear expanded into four prongs that flattened against the man's chest before he was reeled in towards the Guardian.

The Guardian looked to be in perfect shape as all the damage it had sustained was gone. Bellamy thrust his hand out in an attempt to arrest Han's movement with his telekinesis. Han let out a groan at the pain of being stopped so suddenly, butBellamy knew it was better than the alternative.

Anna was about to move to help Han, but both her and Bellamy were forced to move as they watched the unoccupied arm of the Guardian melt into a liquid before morphing into a cannon of sorts. A second later a blast of purple energy was sent at the both of them.

Bellamy made a split second decision and he pushed Anna away with his telekinesis before diving away. This resulted in Han being reeled in towards the Guardian who withdrew it's spear from the man before aiming it's cannon at him from point blank range.

Bellamy took a deep breath and he screamed as loud as he could. Visible soundwaves washed over the Guardian. The robot halted in it's motion and after twenty or so seconds Bellamy was able to perceive a few cracks beginning to spread across it's surface. The sonic scream he had unlocked had given him an expanded lung capacity which he was putting to full use.

However, just as it seemed to be on the verge of collapsing in on itself it morphed into a liquid form and soon the sounwaves were doing no damage at all. Bellamy dropped to his knees from sheer exhaustion and as he regained his breath he watched as it began to solidify again. He felt a sharp pain in his chest and he was surprised to see a needle like projectile embedded in him.

He wrenched the needle free and threw it away as he kept an eye on the Guardian. It soon solidified completely and it seemed to ignore Han who was groaning at it's feet and Anna who Bellamy had been able to guide into the tree line and out of it's sight, but at the cost of aggravating her injured ankle.

The arms of the robot morphed into two large cannons and it turned towards him having clearly identified him as the biggest threat. Purple energy began to gather at the mouths of the cannon and Bellamy stood stock still as he watched the energy begin to gather.

Soon both cannons were glowing with energy and zoom the entire clearing was awash with purple light. The robot reared back it's arms ever so slightly to fire and it was then that Bellamy made his move. The cannons were just about to fire when Bellamy raised both his hands and he forced the two cannons to aim towards each other.

It was a gamble that paid off as a massive explosion rocked the clearing and Bellamy was sent flying. He was blinded by the explosion and he felt his body fly through the air until he slammed into a tree. His body dropped to the ground and he let out a groan as his body registered the pain he was in.

Bellamy laid down for a few seconds until he scrambled to his feet remembering Han's proximity to the robot. He ran towards the site of the explosion and he was stunned at what he saw as he approached the clearing. Flattened trees spread out in varying directions and ot was only then that Bellamy realised how lucky he was to have been sent flying.

If he had been any closer to the explosion (like Han had been) then it probably would not end so well. Bellamy's head thronged painfully as the adrenaline in his body bled away. He began to drag his feet and more than once he needed to stop to centre himself. The trees seemed to shift in and out of focus as he trudged through the woods and he'd made the mistake of looking at the moon only to recoil at it's brightness.

By some miracle, he finally reached the clearing and his mind slowly took in the sight of the pulverise trees and scraps of whatever strange material the Guardians had been made off. There was one particularly large piece that seemed to be on the ground, but as he got closer his gut dropped as he took in the sight of a Guardian that looked extremely battered, but it's Eligius logo was shining a radiant blue.

The Guardian seemed to notice his presence immediately as it rose to it's imposing height and Bellamy immediately lashed out with a telekinetic wave. However, his equilibrium was off and he ended up missing by some distance.

That telekinetic blast had taken a lot of his energy left and he collapsed to his hands and knees as the Guardian approached. His vision lost focus as the heavy footsteps of the robot echoed through the ground. He heard a sound that sounded familiar and muddled, but he could not muster the energy to look for it.

The Guardian stopped in front of him and something landed beside him. A hand placed itself on his shoulder and immediately it was as if a jolt was given to his system. His vision grew a little clearer and the tension in his body faded as he saw who it was.

"I thought you were dead,"said Clarke as her hand glowed green,"I had to fight one of these on my own. You guys did well. This thing took out about seven of my guys. The rest, 8 of them, were unconscious and I had to heal them after hacking into this hunk of junk."

Bellamy turned towards the Guardian that had been marching towards him and it was only then that he saw Han cradled in it's hands. Anna was seated on it's shoulder and she nodded at him before jumping down to the ground.

"I took care of most of your wounds,"said Clarke as she stepped away, but even with his mind being as off tempo as it was Bellamy could sense that Clarke was hiding something else.

"What couldn't you fix?"said Bellamy as he turned to Clarke whose face looked suitably guilty.

"A concussion, "said Clarke grimly as the Guardian behind her bowed to the ground and gently lowered Han,"I can heal bullet wounds and broken bones, but something like this isn't what I want to mess around with."

"It doesn't matter,"said Bellamy as he tried to rise only to stumble and nearly fall if it weren't for Anna's quick reflexes. A rush of vertigo came over and he pulled free from Anna before he vomited a few feet away from them.

Clarke, for her part, remained silent until Bellamy regained his composure and said,"It's a brain injury. My healing wouldn't really help you. I can't risk anything going wrong."

"You mean you won't, "said Bellamy rather angrily. Clarke held her tongue, but she didn't even try to refute his statement.

"There is no real comparison between broken bones and an injured brain ,"stated Clarke trying to smooth things over before they escalated, "I could try to heal it, but–"

"Something could go wrong,"finished Bellamy and he received a nod from Clarke. He stewed in silence for a bit before he rose to his feet a bit shakily.

Bellamy walked closer to Clarke and then he placed his hands on her shoulder. His eyes were frantic and twitching ever so slight as he said,"Octavia. You have to promise that you get her out of there alive, Clarke."

"I–"said Clarke, but as she saw Bellamy's face change, probably to reason with her to let him stay or to heal him, she finally relented, "I will. I promise."

Bellamy accepted her words and stepped back as he went to check on Han. Clarke turned to Anna and said,"I've already sent the others towards Camp Jaha. I'll need you to guide them there too. Han has no major injuries anymore. He's just unconscious for now. You need to keep walking and avoid any trouble. We don't what else the Mountain Men have prepared. I'll go find Le– the Commander."

"As you wish, general,"said Anna as she turned towards Bellamy who had managed to awaken Han and after a quick nod at her friend. She turned away from the retreating group and she looked at the Guardian next to her.

At her command, it began to melt into it's liquid form which made a silvery pile at her feet. She raised her hands and ice blasted out of hands flash freezing the material. She wouldn't have any problems with them at least until the ice melted, but considering the cool temperature of the night and how thick the block of ice was she felt it would hold for long enough.

Her technopathy had revealed the best way to deal with these and she vaguely understood how the strange substance making up the Guardian worked. Some of it flew over her head and she was sure Raven would have understood it fully, but she was able to understand just enough on how to deal with the robots.

In short, while it was in it's solid state only physical attacks would work on it like the spires of rock she had made that had destroyed the first of the Guardians. Furthermore, once it was in it's liquid state then only attacks that affected it's temperature would be effective and if a sharp enough change in temperature was introduced then the material would become inert and the Guardian would shut down.

As if on cue, the blue light of the Guardian shut off as it shut down. Clarke kept her guard up for a little longer, but in the end she was sure that it was well and truly offline. A large explosion drew her attention and Clarke felt her insides twist with worry as she had one more thing to do.

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It was rather difficult at first for Clarke to track the lone of destrictuopm caused by the Guardian that Lexa was fighting. The destruction to the surrounding forestry appeared to be rather random.

In fact, it was only after she used her animal mimicry to mimic the powerful smelling of a bloodhound that she was able to follow the scent of the Guardian which smelt rather irritating, but made it very easy to track.

It was after a few more minutes that she began to pass bodies and unlike the people that were with her and Bellamy these people were all dead. From bullet wounds to blunt force and even what looked like damage from a laser it was clear that this Guardian, in particular, had held no punches whatsoever.

It made for a very sobering sight and Clarke realised that no matter who won each side of this war would suffer heavy losses when it was all said and done.

The thick smell of the Guardian was just up ahead and Clarke ran ahead in slight panic, but she was surprised by what awaited her in the clearing. Lexa stood in front of a Guardian that was laying on the ground and seemed to be struggling to get up.

Clarke looked closer and she was surprised to see large ditches in the ground where the Guardian had fallen the hardest. It seemed to be under some sort of increased gravity in a similar manner to how Indra had subdued Clarke during their fight. However, judging by the way leaves still blew freely through the air Clarke was sure it was something else.

Lexa had noticed her arrival, but she didn't turn to acknowledge Clarke as her eyes remained focused on the Guardian. Clarke finally reached right next to her and it was then that The Commander turned to face her.

"Are you alright?"said Clarke as she looked at Lexa and from this close up it was easier to see the wounds Lexa had suffered from the black blood dripping down her forehead to the way her right arm hung out of it's socket.

Clarke raised her hands towards Lexa who twitched, but she seemed to relax as she saw the green light on Clarke's hands. Lexa allowed Clarke to heal her and there was silence for a bit before Lexa said,"I need to go to the gates. These monsters are extremely strong. My people need me. You should carry on to the caves–"

"No way,"said Clarke as she continued to heal Lexa. The other woman's body was stiff likely from the aches and pains from her fight ans Clarke could see a darkness in her eyes that practically lusted for blood.

"You don't know the trick to beating these things,"said Clarke as she watched Lexa's wounds heal rapidly and luckily there were no concussions or brain damage to worry about,"As much as I want to get into the Mountain right away, I can't do that while knowing the army is still in grave danger."

Clarke stepped away from Lexa as she finished healing the other woman and Lexa nodded at Clarke before she began to set a brisk pace towards the gate. Clarke made to follow her, but she stopped abruptly as she noticed the Guardian had morphed into a liquid state trying to escape it's invisible bonds.

Clarke immediately fired a blast of ice as she began to freeze the liquid solid. It was spread out throughout the ground and so she needed to make a few more passes over multiple areas to really freeze them over. There was only a small bit leftover when Clarke saw a tiny blur fly from the mass of liquid before embedding in her core.

She immediately finished off her job before she wrenched the object, a needle like projectile, out of her skin. It was coated in black as her blood dripped off it and a quick check with Insight revealed that whatever substance was in the needle was not harmless and Clarke threw it away as she turned to catch up with Lexa.

"What was that?"said Lexa as she began to walk forward once Clarke was right behind her,"Anything to worry about?"

"No,"said Clarke, but it was closer than she cared to admit. If she hadn't frozen the Guardian over it was likely that the attack would have done a lot more damage.

Lexa nodded before she turned to Clarke and said,"I hope you can keep up."

Clarke's response was lost to the wind as Lexa disappeared in a burst of wind. The speed at which Lexa was capable of running surprised Clarke for a bit until she remembered that like herself and Ontari Lexa was a nightblood and that came with feats like this.

That did not mean that Clarke was unable to match the other woman's speed. Far from it. Clarke took off after Lexa taking extra care to avoid any obstacles in her way and soon she was running side by side with Lexa before quickly overtaking her.

It would have made for a comical scene, but as she and Lexa ran for longer Clarke was able to perceive the sounds of battle emanating from the gates into Mount Weather.

It was now or never.

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"Fall back!"shouted Anya as the arms of the monster in front of her and a few people changed into a cannon. The people under her command all heeded her order as they hid behind trees or sought cover in any way that they could.

It was not enough, however, as the blast of energy destroyed a tree protecting some of her people completely. There were screams before they faded away almost immediately as warrior after warrior fell.

These monsters were worse than the Acid Fog.

No matter what they did these monsters would not stay down. Swords, knives, arrows and spears broke on their skin. The bullets of Skaikru bounced off and posed a danger for everyone until they had given Skaikru the order to remain at the back of the army out of harm's way.

That was not even the extent of the capabilities of their opponents. They punched hard enough to splinter rock and even fire or lightning could put them down permanently. What was most disturbing was their ability to change from liquid to solid at a moment's notice.

For all their numbers, around 400 of these giants were needed to overpower and push back their 8000 strong army. They had to stick to attacking from range and even then they were suffering considerable losses.

They weren't perfect though. They often struggled to attack groups of fighters and thankfully there were not that many attacking them compared to the army size at least. They were also rather vulnerable to physical attacks, but they mitigated this by transforming into their liquid form. The tide had slowly begun to change in their favour, though, as every now and then some of the monsters would take to the skies and head back to the Mountain.

Anya saw Tris lift her hands towards one of these monsters and a stream of electricity shot towards it.The robot had been in it's liquid form when Tris' lightning bolt struck it and Anya watched as the surface of the monster began to bubble and boil until the light seemed to drain away from it's eyes.

"Sagan,"shouted Anya to the general who had also paid attention to Tris' spectacle, "Inform the other generals of this. We need to use physical attacks when they're solid and only fire and lightning when they're liquid. I'll give you cover."

Sagan nodded and as she kneels down and began to broadcast his message Anya kept her guard up as she kept an eye out for any threats to Sagan. Luckily there were none whatsoever and he was able to get the message to the generals, some of whom were still tied up at Camp Jaha.

Indra would have been rather useful for this fight. Her power over gravity would have made immobilising the monsters a lot easier. Anya scanned the battlefield looking for a group she could lend her aid to.

Another problem with their vast numbers was that it was decidedly easy for the Mountain Men to stir up chaos between their missiles, guns and energy blasts the army had been splintered into various disorganised groups. Anya was looking for these types of groups. The battlefield stretched far and wide through the trees and she needed to help out where she could.

However, before Anya could move a flying object sped into the clearing and began to knock monster after monster over. The warriors were able to get out of the way in time as the heavy blows made the Maunon's weapons fall to the ground. The flying person was followed by a person in the ground who kept approaching every downed monster and touching it.

It was after a fre seconds that Anya realised that Clarke was the flier who was knocking the monsters and Lexa was the one who followed in her wake. Anya knew more about Lexa's capabilities having been her mentor and so she knew Lexa was increasing the mass of the monster to such a point that they could not lift themselves off the ground.

In a matter of seconds, 9 of the monsters had already been subdued and it was as mesmerising as it was surprising to see Clarke and Lexa work rather well in tandem. They obviously weren't surprised by these things and so they must have already figured out a way to beat them.

They finally stopped their onslaught after they managed to subdue 20 of their opponents. The sight of their Heda and Clarke seemed to rejuvenate the army and in an instant whatever dount and fear had settled into the ranks vanished. Bolts of lightning, waves of flame and spires rocks were sent towards their monstrous opponents.

With the added knowledge of how to handle their opponents in their non-solid form, it became gradually easier to push back as they forced their way out of the woods and back towards the gate of the Mountain. Their push back was so successful that some of the monsters began to take to the sky having clearly been given the order to retreat.

It was pointless, however, as Clarke ,wreathed in fire, punched straight through those thay were foolish enough to come closer. The combination of a powerful physical force that also had a high temperature seemed to do the trick mist faster as the monsters fell straight out the sky like dead birds.

Clarke realised this too and she busied herself with chasing after as many as she could. Unfortunately, she was only able to destroy roughly 15 more before the rest had retreated. The ones Clarke and Lexa had subdued were already being burnt under the direction of the generals that had been sent this way.

Clarke finally came back down to the ground and dispelled her flame armour. Lexa was near to Clarke and she raised her hand for silence as the army immediately obeyed. Her eyes seemed to contain a mix of anger and determination. It was an expression mirrored by Clarke whose purple warpaint had mixed with her black blood giving her a very intimidating appearance .

"Thw gates are only a few minutes away,"said Lexa as she lowered her hand,"It is time to get our people back."

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Clarke found that the army was rather unsurprisingly well run. Medic camps had been set up at the rear of the army as they began their advance and while Clarke was not exactly sure of the wisdom of doing such so close to the Mountain she trusted Lexa's judgement.

Lexa had been in conversation with a lot of the other generals even as they marched and Clarke had to hold back a wince when Sagan had said the casualties was around 900, but thankfully a rather low amount of those were actual deaths. There were already preparations being made to take them to Ton DC.

The Grounders had been wholly unprepared for the fight and apparently it was only thanks to Tris and Anya's keen eye that they figured out the weakness of the Guardians. The fact that they had been forced to fight backwards down a slope and in a heavily forested area only made things harder for the army until they had been able to regroup and stand their ground.

Lexa was finally left alone at the head of the army and Clarke sped up her speed so she could reach the other woman who had been rather silent since Clarke had found her. She finally got to the front after some maneuvering and said low enough for only Lexa to be able to hear,"I know what's bothering you."

Lexa turned to her quickly and her face held an open expression of surprise that faded as Clarke continued to speak ,"You wanted to free your people in the cages. I'm sure Anya would have told you how terrible it was in there, but I don't think you should let it distract you like this."

Lexa's was looking forward now and even though she still seemed tense Clarke was sure she wasn't crossing any boundaries. It was most likely a case of Lexa not being fully comfortable with someone speaking this candidly with her.

"Look, "said Clarke finally as she drew out a dagger that was identical to the one used for their blood oath,"We're a team now and we will win this. Both of our people are in there, but now is not the time for being angry. We need to put aside our personal anger for the safety of our people inside and outside this Mountain."

Clarke had been rather close and she allowed her shoulder to rub into Lexa's before she walked back to her original position. She had been assigned to lead a rather young group of warriors along with their mentors and she could not afford any more distractions.

It was only about two minutes later that the large door leading into the Mountain was revealed. The army had almost made it this close before they had been forced to retreat under the assault of the Guardians.

Clarke caught movement out the corner of her eye and she used her animal mimicry to give her the eyes of an owl. The night vision that her eyes gave her told her that there were Mountain Men stationed at the top of the ridge. Their guns were at the ready and their scopes were trained on them.

Clarke waited for orders from Lexa, but she was when the massive door to the Mountain began to open. The sound of voices emanated from behind the door and Clarke got ready to use her psionic powers if need be.

It was why she was so surprised to see that the noise was only being made by people who Clarke was quite easily able to identify as Grounders. The group of people seemed to be surprised at the sight of the army, but after a few curt words from Lexa in Trigedasleng they began to walk into the army and there were already some reunions as cheers of joy mixed with sadness and relief erupted here and there.

Soon after, a guard walked out and Clarke felt her own anger rise up to mix in with the confusion she was feeling. It was almost purely on instinct and rage that Clarke charged towards Emerson as she prepared to fire a psionic blast, but she stopped as soon as she heard Lexa speak.

"Clarke, that's enough,"said Lexa and Emerson whose face had been filled with terror now looked smug as he said,"You should listen to your Commander, girl. If any of my people get hurt then the deal is off."

"What deal?"said Clarke as she looked at Emerson, but he wasn't looking at her in fact he was looking at–

"Lexa,"said Clarke angrily and there was slight murmuring in the crowd. The generals that were closest to them, Akeri, Sagan and Remus all made a wall between her and Lexa.

Clarke was not about to be deterred, however, as she fired a psionic blast into Akeri and Remus. The two generals were sent flying away, but they quickly regained their footing.

A large section of the army took exception to Clarke's actions and they looked as of they were ready to charge until Lexa lifted her hand to calm them,"Em pleni."

"I made a deal with the Maunon,"said Lexa her face icy cool. Deep down, Clarke had known this once the prisoners were given up so freely, but she had waited to see if she had simply been paranoid.

Apparently not.

Her anger was getting ahead of her as Cage's words replayed in her head. She had rebuffed the idea of an alliance with the Mountain Men because she had no reason to trust them, but she had reason to trust Lexa. It hadn't been her head telling her to side with the Grounders, but her heart too. The Mountain Men, save for a few, were arrogant in their supposed superiority over the Grounders.

They had done nothing to convince Clarke of being well-intentioned and she knew that with how badly they need Skaikru bone marrow then any alliance would be about as useful as dirt.

However, this obviously did not hold true for the Grounders. The Grounders blood was now worthless to the Mountain Men and what better way to shatter the invasion than by giving the Grounders exactly what they were looking for.

"It was during my fight with the giant,"continued Lexa calmly even as Clarke's eyes widened in realisation, "They had made an offer I could not refuse and it was my duty as Heda to accept their terms."

"In case you're wondering,"said Emerson smugly,"We said we would send our entire fleet of Guardians to the large Grounder cities. Polis, Oria, Nesota and Troit just to name a few. That is what you guys call them right?"

Clarke turned back to Lexa whose face was stoic as Emerson spoke. Her hands clenched into fists as she said,"You knew for that long and you still strung me along?"

"I did what I had to do,"said Lexa before addressing the army at large,"No member of the Coalition is allowed to cross the river into Maunon territory from dawn today. Failure to comply will result in execution. Make way for Ton DC. You are not to rest until we get there "

The army began to make it's way out the clearing under Lexa's stern gaze and even though there were those that seemed like they wanted to stay and fight they were quickly dissuaded from their course of action by the remaining generals.

The Mountain Men were apparently pleased with what they saw and they too began to make their way inside. Emerson's laugh as he made his way inside only served to piss Clarke off, but the annoyance she felt at him was nothing compared to the rage she felt for The Commander.

They were soon the only two people, apart from Anya, who had remained behind. The door to the Mountain slammed shut with a deep, metallic ring. The mask of indifference that had been on Lexa's face melted away as she reached out to Clarke's shoulder, but a second later Clarke had grabbed onto her wrist before pushing it back towards the other woman.

"Don't. "

Clarke turned to Anya and her eyes were glowing a deep purple. Her hand was on the dagger she still had on her person. The sheer anger Clarke was feeling was all, but visble and Anya was ready to intervene when the knives she still had from Anya all clattered to the floor along with the dagger she had withdrawn earlier.

Clarke walked straight past Lexa and didn't turn to look at her as she said, "I thought you were different. "

Clarke didn't leave any chance for a reply as she sped off in a blur to parts unknown. Anya immediately teleported to her leader's side. She was able to pick up all of the weapons Clarke had discarded before she placed a hand on Lexa's shoulder.

"To the army or to Ton DC?"asked Anya having decided to not bring up what had just happened.

"Don't bother. I'll walk to the army,"said Lexa and her voice sounded a little shaken, "Assign scouts to the gates. I need to know who will win so I can prepare contingencies. Am I understood? "

Anya nodded immediately, but just before she left she said,"Is this wise, Heda?"

Lexa did not seem to react to Anya's question and she was silent for a while before she spoke.

"It is done, Anya,"said Lexa her voice as firm and confident as it usually was,"I did what I must to save our people. Tomorrow, we'll find out who will and from there I'll decide on a course of action. Separate the army in two. All the sick and injured along with some of the army are to go to Ton DC. Send 300 warriors to Camp Jaha. I will meet them there myself."

Anya nodded her understanding before she teleported away leaving Lexa alone in front of the gates. Her eyes lingered on the direction that Clarke had fled in before she turned her back in the gate and made way for Camp Jaha.

What's done is done.

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**Hey guys hope you enjoyed this chapter. Been working it on during my off time during exams, but now I'm dome with exams which is just great. A lot happened in this one and now we'll have to see what happens in the next one.**

**Tis unfortunate, but now Clarke finds herself outside the Mountain without even Bellamy to help her. Lexa betrays Clarke and that won't bode well for the Mountain Men in the next chapter. There are twists coming up in the next chapter some of which I'm sure will shock most, if not all, of you.**

**I love to hear from you guys and leave a review if you have any thoughts, questions, theories etc.**

**Song rec:**

**Queen – Brighton Rock **


	16. Liberation

**If anyone can do fanart for this story please shoot me a message or PM. I can't draw for shit and I'm broke so I can't commission one, but hey it'd be like a Christmas gift or something.**

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Clarke slowed to a stop as she reached the mouth of the Reaper caves. It looked dark and ominous, but Clarke was not scared. In fact, she was practically itching for a fight. Clarke took a deep breath as she pushed that train of thought out of her mind for the time being.

Her people were still inside the Mountain and she needed a cool head

It was rather cold in here compared to the outside, but it was barely anything compared to the Ark whenever the heaters would malfunction for days on end. The Sky Box was also pretty cold. A common complaint amongst the teens during their Earth Skills classes.

In the end it was simply another torture laid upon kids other than the fact that they had to count the days to their eventual execution. Why waste valuable resources and energy on kids you were going to kill anyways?

It was cruel and harsh, but it was necessary. Especially with the degradation that the Ark was going through. It wouldn't surprise Clarke if there had been an increased crackdown on crimes so more adults could be floated around the time of the oxygen crisis.

It was strange to think that the oxygen crisis had lead to the situation she was in now. So much had happened since then. From discovering her powers to rescuing Octavia and even getting captured by Trikru.

So much had happened in the months that she had been on Earth. It was weird too looking back all the events seemed to be melded into one quick blur, but she knew that those experiences were anything but quick. They had been some of the most taxing parts of her life and this would have been hard enough if her having some sort of special powers weren't thrown in the mix.

Clarke was rather ambivalent about her powers. She had had a few concerns initially about the Novus series. She wondered if it would harm her in any way and what negative impact it would have on her.

For the most part though, the Novus had been a blessing. There was no way they would have been able to survive as long as they could if all of the delinquents didn't have any powers. It was likely that they would have all eventually been wiped out or assimilated into Trikru and that was assuming the Grounders got to them before the Mountain Men did.

In any case, her powers made it easier for her to get things done. There were times where Clarke felt invincible. There were situations like her fight with Anya where she knew that she would undoubtedly win.

Yet, there were moments that for all her strength she felt completely powerless. Wells and Roma's death, seeing the Ark fall to the Earth and most recently whenever she had a moment to herself.

The time on the ground had taken a toll on her and she often found herself yearning for simpler times. The time she would spend watching old soccer matches will her dad, Wells and Wells' dad. She found herself missing even the times where she would accompany her mother to Medical where she would shadow her and take notes whenever she learnt something new.

The amount of responsibility that had been thrust upon her was weighing down on her soul. Clarke had been forced to take the Novus and she felt obligated to take the lead and make sure everyone would be safe. If she hadn't been given the shot perhaps she wouldn't have stepped up, but Clarke felt she probably would have.

The thought of leaving others to fend for themselves when she could do something was sickening. Her father had laid everything on the line including his own life doing what he thought was right. Clarke had initially thought that the Mountain Men were too strong for her to take down on her own.

That may still hold true, but Clarke was not going to let that deter her. She had made a promise to Bellamy to get Octavia out and that held true for everyone else as well. One way or another, the Mountain would fall.

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Deep inside the tunnels, a group of five Reapers were waiting outside a door with around fifteen hostages. The hostages were all kneeling on the floor with their arms tied behind their back.

They ranged from young children to older women, but none of them had the physique one would associate with a warrior. The door hissed open and two Guards came out. They were not wearing the strange costumes that the Grounders associated the Mountain Men with, but the Reapers did not care as they saw that these men still held The Red.

One by one, the Grounders were guided into the Mountain by one guard while the other remained behind to give the Reapers their due. Clarke watched from further away, still under her invisibility cloak, as the man pulled out a set of syringe gun filled with a red liquid.

The Reapers practically scramble to be the first to get injected. The sheer hunger that she could see in their eyes was disturbing and perhaps even more disturbing was the way the Guard would taunt the Reapers. He would walk all the way up to one of them and press the needle against their neck before pulling away and laughing as without fail the Reapers would try to follow the needle with their neck.

It was sickening to see.

Clarke knew she had to make a decision. However, in the end it wasn't much of a choice. Clarke watched as the Guard sensed that the Reapees were growing increasingly upset and so he finally injected one of them with the red substance.

The woman who was injected seemed to drop almost immediately as she was put in some sort of haze. One by one, Clarke watched as the Reapers were injected before they promptly collapsed to the ground seemingly disconnected from the world.

Clarke watched as the guard wa about to inject the last Reaper, but she was surprised when she recognised who he was.

Lincoln?

It was Lincoln. The Grounder who had almost been killed by Anya after Mbege had tried to ambush their meeting at the bridge. The Reapers had just been a faceless, nameless bunch, but it was very different to see someone that she knew, even if only in passing, subjected to such a horror.

The guard injected Lincoln and the man groaned in gratification before collapsing to the ground. Hadn't he been on his way to a more benevolent clan? In fact, it was most likely Floukru that he was headed towards. Clarke had not met the leader of Floukru, but based of how Trent was she imagined the leader would be quite similar in temperament to their second-in-command.

The guard was walking away and so Clarke knew she had to act quickly. She ran over to him and he hadn't even had the time to turn before her hand was on his neck. He began to reach for his belt, but before he could hundreds of volts of electricity ran through his body. Clarke kept the stream up even as the man began to convulse violently and the smell of burning flesh wafted from him.

She only stopped once the man's eyes glassed over and she dropped him to the ground. She approached Lincoln and placed her hand on his chest. The second she touched him, information began to rapidly rush through her head. The drug was highly addictive and not only did it seem to cause a crippling addiction, but it also seemed to distort the mind and body of the victim.

Clarke wasn't sure whether she had enough time to detoxify the Reapers or not and she was about to leave when she decided against it. The intricacies of Insight was lost on Clarke as it allowed to almost fully understand any object or substance so long as she could touch it.

It was why she was forced to check on the other Reapers using Insight to double check her findings. Every single result came back positive. The drug wasn't only highly addictive, damaging to the mind and body of the victim, but there seemed to be lingering traces of the substance throughout all of the Reapers systems.

This may have been what causes the ferocity and physical distortions of the Reapers to grow over time as the substance stayed in their system so long as they were alive. The only solution to flush it out completely was to induce cardiac arrest before reviving the Reapers.

It was sick and terrifying and Clarke knew that there was absolutely no way the Grounders would even know this. If this was the case then Clarke's mom was probably running around frantically trying to keep the Reapers alive. If Clarke had been able to figure it out then her mom definitely had hours ago.

There was the conundrum with their alliance with the Grounders being torn to shreds with Lexa's choice, but Clarke knew that her mother would most likely rehabilitate the Reapers in any case. Clarke was sure that a section of the army, along with how ever many Skaikru had been at the Mountain, had already been dispatched to Camp Jaha to retrieve their allies.

Clarke shook her head as she dispelled thoughts of Camp Jaha. She would first have to make it out of here alive. She turned first to Lincoln and she was glad for the lack of cameras in this cave. It would have been a lot harder to do this if there had been any cameras. She would have probably been spotted before she was even halfway done with her task.

Clarke returned to Lincoln and she decided to start on him first. Her hand crackled with electricity before she plunged it onto the man's chest directly above his heart. The man almost immediately underwent cardiac arrest and she watched nervously as his struggles gradually slowed before stopping altogether.

Clarke knew she had a few minutes at best before brain damage would settle in once she revived Lincoln. She began with CPR and once she saw she was making no progress she instead used her electricity as a defibrillator of sorts.

Lincoln's body seized up as the current travelled through his body before stopping. Clarke repeated the action one more time and she sighed in relief as Lincoln woke up and began to cough rapidly.

Clarke immediately pressed her hands, already shining with the green light of her healing, onto Lincoln who seemed confused about his surroundings. His eyes settled on her and he seemed to panic at first until he was able to peer through her warpaint and recognise who she was.

"Clarke?"said Lincoln and his voice was gruff and tired as you would expect from someone who had been knocking on death's door,"How did you–"

"Don't speak,"said Clarke with a calmness she had developed in all her time helping her mother with patients on the Ark. She completed healing him and she turned towards the other Reapers and said, "I made an alliance with the Commander and a part of the deal was to help heal the Reapers. My people and I had been captured by the Mountain Men with Anya and I immediately felt like there was something wrong with the place."

Clarke continued to recount all the major happenings that Lincoln had missed throughout his time as a Reaper. She had to occasionally pause in her retelling to calm down the now ex-Reapers who were understandably confused about their surroundings.

Lincoln went against her advice and he pacified them speaking in Trigedasleng and while the words mostly flew over her head she wasn't really all that bothered about it. She continued retelling her story and the cured Reapers listened intently as they were caught up with what had happened on the outside.

Soon, Clarke was done and she had managed to cure even the physical deformities that the drug had caused once she had revived everyone. The Grounders watched her every move intently and Clarke tried to not let it get to her as she healed up one of the worse cases which was that of a woman who by Clarke's estimations had been under the influence of the drug for at least two months.

She completed her task and once she was done. The Grounders all stared at her as if they expected an order of sorts. She turned to Lincoln who seemed to understand her unspoken query as he said,"We await your orders, general. You freed us from the hold of The Red and we all wish to help you fell the Mountain once and for all."

Clarke was rather stunned at Lincoln's declaration and despite herself she couldn't help, but ask what was on her mind,"You are aware that your army has retreated under the orders of your Commander? It would be treason to go against her."

The woman who she had healed stood up and it was either a testament to Clarke's healing or the fortitude of the Grounders or in all likelihood both that they all were able to rise to their feet. Clarke stared at the woman who seemed to be waiting on some sort of cue to speak.

Clarke reluctantly nodded at her and the woman spoke her voice sounding at once strong and humble,"Skaiprisa, I am Echo. Kom Azgeda. "

It surprised Clarke that Echo did not have the facial scars that Clarke associated with the Ice Nation. Ontario being the most prominent example of the rather cruel ritual.

"You do not have any scars, "said Clarke to the woman who did not seem surprised by Clarke's and Echo nodded as she said,"My queen wished to use my services in such a way that I could blend in. I had been caught by the Reapers while on assignment for my queen and I had been captured by the Reapers before I could complete my task."

Echo did not say it directly, but it was rather clear to see that she was essentially a spy almost in the same vein as Lincoln who was a scout. The difference was not lost on Clarke and in general admitting to being a spy was not the best introduction in any situation.

Echo came across as rather shrewd and so Clarke suspected she had only revealed this in a bid to gain her trust.

"What was the assignment?"said Clarke and she was impressed when Echo didn't even flinch at the question.

"Queen Nia sent me to Trikru lands a few moons ago,"said Echo calmly even as some of the others seemed to growl at the mention of the ice queen,"I was to gather information on an object that had fallen out of the sky."

That had not been what Clarke was expecting at all. It was something she had never considered in all honesty. The landing of the dropship had garnered far more attention than she had thought and it was probably nothing short of a miracle that they had survived so long.

"I got captured after your fight with the Splita, "said Echo and Clarke knew which fight she was referring to exactly. The one where she had stolen the healing powers of the man who had attacked them.

If Echo had seen that then there was no way Clarke could–

"I owe you my life, "said Echo as she knelt to a knee,"Nia will have my head if I were to return to Azgeda. I owe you for healing me and I wish to enact my revenge on the Maunon for what they have done to me. It is unlikely that all of the cured Reapers will be able to return to their people. I offer my help not just in gratitude, but also in exchange for refuge. We would be seen as impure, Frikdeina, and our own people would fear us and shun us."

The others all seemed to be of the same mind as they knelt beside Echo. Clarke was not so sure about what she was about to do, but she did believe that Echo was not lying nor were the others. They all hailed from a variety of clans and for them all to be so steadfast in their posture made her believe that perhaps they well and truly believed Echo's words.

"Skaiprisa, "said Echo and it was a word which drew the attention of the other Grounders before they seemed to bow even deeper before Clarke,"We are yours to command."

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Corporal Stills was silent as he hosed down and cleaned the forms of the captured surface dwellers with a high powered hose. The need for new foot soldiers had become more urgent and while President Wallace had released their prisoners that did not mean they would stop in their exploits.

Stills was just high enough in the hierarchy of Mount Weather to know that the Guardians had been deployed. The Guardiams were deadly weapons that the citizen of Mount Weather were blessed to have.

"You should count your lucky stars that Presidemt Wallace recalled the Guardians,"said Stills to one of the surface dwellers who seemed to be annoyed by the man's proximity, "It's a shame that we had to capture you, but with a lot of our Reapers gone it was necessary for us to replenish our numbers. The Guardians had not been ready for deployment when your people attacked. If they had been tou would not have been captured so I hope you know that this is pretty much your fault."

The look in the young woman's eyes didn't change and to Stills' dismay, she smirked insolently as if he was somehow less than her. It was something that he could not forgive and he was about to reach for his shock baton when he heard the sound of the door opening.

He ignored the sound as he reached for his baton, but suddenly he froze as pain radiated from his chest. He looked down in horror to see a sharp blade of light protruding from his chest. The blade disappeared in a flash of green particles and Stills collapsed backwards onto the floor.

Clarke appeared from behind the man as her invisibility wore off. From behind her, the band of former Reapers walked into the room. The people in the room seemed to panic at the sight of their captors, but Clarke spoke up quickly.

"Do any of you speak Gonasleng?"said Clarke as she recalled the word the Grounders used for English. Luckily, an older man raised his hand and Clarke turned to her saying,"These are the people that captured you, but there are not Reapers anymore. You need to leave the Mountain now with those three. They'll take you back to your people."

The man relayed this to the other captives and they calmed down as they allowed Clarke and the others to free them of their restraints. They soon began to pile out of the room which was rather close to the tunnels. Soon, there was only a young girl left who seemed to be frozen to the spot.

Clarke walked to her and the girl stared up at her fear clearly visble in her eyes. The girl had long black hair and Clarke ran behind through it in a bid to calm the girl down.

"Don't worry,"said Clarke and the girl thankfully seemed to understand Clarke's words. She continued to caress the girl's hair before she said,"You can go home to your parents now. I'm sure they miss you."

The girl was then guided away by one of the other captives and Clarke turned away from her as she stared at the door that led into the Mountain. She was with only Lincoln and Echo as they were both in the best shape of all of the cured Reapers.

"As soon as we go through there they'll know we're here,"said Clarke as Echo and Lincoln turned to her,"What powers do you guys have? We should know what we're all capable of at the very least."

Echo seemed to focus on something before her face displayed open concern. Clarke was puzzled as she turned to the other woman and said, "What's wrong?"

"Our powers,"said Lincoln and he too looked deeply concerned, "They're gone. It is almost as if there is something blocking our access to it. Is it not the same for you?"

Clarke shook her head almost immediately as her hand ignited. She shut the flames down immediately as she knelt to the ground and said, "We need to do things a little differently then."

The revelation had Clarke ons edge as she wondered what it meant for her friends, but she pushed that aside as the bones of a plan began to make itself in her head.

Things had just gotten even more difficult.

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A soothing and rich melody flowed through Dante's office. The sound of classical music drifted from the record player on his desk. The blend of instruments created a sound that was calming and relaxing which was exactly what Dante needed right now.

A harsh knock on the door drew his attention and he turned down the volume on his record player as he said, "Come in. "

The door opened and Cage walked in as he closed the door behind him with more force than was necessary. Cage walked over to one of the smaller tables that had a bottle of the best whiskey they had been able to conjure up in the Mountain.

Cage poured out two glasses and after walking over to his dad he took a large sip of his own before sitting down.

Dante took the glass and he put it down on the table almost immediately. Dante knew why he was here of course. He may have been the President of the Mountain, but that did not mean he didn't understand his kids.

"You're upset about my intervention with Clarke and the Commander,"said Dante as he sipped his drink before putting it back down.

Cage nodded immediately his voice indignant as he said,"I had it under control. How am I supposed to learn how to lead when you won't let me?"

"You were far too blunt, son,"said Dante calm in the face of his son's fury, "I asked you to only plant a seed of doubt not try to alienate her completely from the get-go. You revealed too much information too quickly and you were arrogant and brash. Being a leader is about more than just flexing your muscles, diplomacy is needed as well."

"Your diplomacy,"said Cage as he rolled his eyes,"Still caused us to have to fight. What difference would it have made if I were more diplomatic? We had the upper hand. They barely had any room to negotiate. "

"That had nothing to do with you,"said Dante firmly his tone demanding respect from his son,"We had the luxury of being able to see them react to our propositions and still you failed to use them. The Commander was on edge when you mentioned the attack on the Mountain. Clarke had been misled about the war between our people and theirs from the beginning. "

"So you're saying those savages managed to pit Clarke against us,"said Cage with a hint of disbelief in his voice.

"Despite what you may think of the surface dwellers,"said Dante as he sipped from his glass,"They are not primitive or stupid. Lexa, most of all, would be one of the wisest of them all. Clarke was a target to sway, but once it became clear that she wouldn't be swayed, largely due to your clumsy negotiation, we had to adjust."

Cage looked down at the ground to mask the turmoil of emotions that swept through him. He tightened his grip on the arm of the chair before releasing a slow breath.

"You tried to use your voice on her and it didn't work,"said Cage having regained his cool,"You only discovered you had this power once we healed you with the bone marrow and yet you tested it out on someone stronger than anyone left alive on this Earth. How can you call me clumsy when what you did was what actually pushed Clarke over the edge?"

"You may have swayed the Commander to your side,dad, but I doubt this will be over,"said Cage as he stood up from his seat,"We may know where the Guardians are, but they can't be sent too far from their launch points. They can't even reach TonDC from here and that's the closest of any city of actual importance to the Grounders. Your bluff may have worked, but this is far from over. Once we get out of here do you really think the Commander will allow us to live peacefully?"

"The threat of the Guardians will ensure that–"said Dante before he was interrupted by his son.

"They are not a threat, Dad,"said Cage tersely ,"They can't go beyond nine kilometres from here. They needed to be charged for weeks on end for one hour of battle. Do I even need to mention how they were able to figure out how to exploit their phase changing technology? They were wiping them out casually. The report on them by Eligius said they were only barely in Alpha development. They needed more Hytholodium to work out their kinks and yet you deployed them anyway."

"What is your point?"said Dante his voice sounding tired and weathered from the piercing rebuttal his son had delivered to him.

"You were lucky,"said Cage firmly as he walked around the office,"There is no way for us to develop the Guardians further. Once everyone still in the mess hall gets their shots then we need to make plans to move out, but even then this won't be over. We'll be right in their line of fire."

"What do you suggest we do?"said Dante his tone serious his son's words seeming to have had an effect.

"White Feather,"said Cage and Dante's refusal was almost immediate.

"Absolutely not,"said Dante his voice quivering with anger,"We will not go down that dark path again. We had done it once before and look at all the good it has done for us. I refuse to allow ourselves to do so again."

"Dad–"began Cage, but he was cut off as Dante slammed his fist onto the table the glasses on the table shifting from the force of the slam. It was an uncharacteristic display of anger from the usually unflappable man.

"That is my decree as President, "said Dante after a few seconds ,"Go against it or mention it to anyone and I'll have you executed for treason. Am I understood?"

"Yes sir,"said Cage before a voice from Dante's radio spoke up.

"President Wallace, "said one of the technicians that was in the control room, Lionel if Cage remembered correctly, "We have an issue. Someone is shutting down the cameras on the bottom floor one by one. Emerson is en route to intercept and he told me to show you."

Dante exchanged a glance with his son before replying into the radio,"What is going on?"

"I need you to look at your computer sir. We found the culprit,"said Lionel his voice sounding distressed and worried,"I'll broadcast the images to you."

Immediately, Dante's computer flared to life and Cage walked around the desk to see what the fuss was about. The image loaded just as he got there and Cage felt a coil tighten in his stomach at the sight of Clarke standing with her arms crossed as she stared up at a camera.

The high definition camera were able to capture the anger on Clarke's face perfectly as her eyes and hands glowed with red energy. She raised her hands towards the camera and there was a flash of red light before the camera blinked out.

Dante was frozen in shock and Cage was silent as they stared at the grainy black and white dots dancing all over the monitor.

"Sir?"said Lionel his voice sounding just as disturbed, "What are your orders?"

Dante seemed to snap out of his daze as he said,"Isolate the first floor from the rest of the Mountain. Lock down the elevators and disable any key cards she has. She cannot be allowed to reach the higher levels."

Perhaps his son had been right. There would be no rest for them anytime soon. Clarke had attacked despite being vastly outnumbered. She had already managed to get inside the Mountain without them noticing and Dante knew that things were going to get worse before they could even hope for them to get better.

Cage began to walk towards the door, but he stopped when he heard his father speak up,"Where are you going?"

"To arm myself,"said Cage nonchalantly,"You should too. You still have that pistol in your desk right? Just make sure to leave one bullet in the chamber. She's out for blood."

Their blood.

Cage was gone and soon Dante was left alone in his office with only the cheerful music emanating from his record player to keep him company.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Clarke waited outside the elevator as she watched the number on it tick down. This was the same floor that the acod for machine had been kept and despite her mess having been cleaned up there were still scorch marks on the ceiling of the hallway she had been in.

The layout of the Mountain was rather confusing, but the more time she spent in here the more sense it had begun to make. There was a downward slope from the front door of the Mountain to the tunnels and so Clarke had reason to believe that the front door lead to one of the top floors of the Mountain, but most likely led to the middle floor.

The acid fog had been at the bottom of the Mountain and that floor was the one she, Lincoln and Echo had found themselves on when they had gotten in. There were probably a multitude of secret pathways that the Mountain Men used to funnel the captured Grounders to their cages or to become Reapers.

Echo and Lincoln both remembered where they were located despite having been rather groggy and incapacitated when they had been captured. Clarke knew there were 7 levels in the Mountain. The very top was where Dante's office was located.

The delinquents had been housed two levels below Dante's office. So that meant their room was on level 5. The medical wing was on the second level of the Mountain and the dining room that they used for emergencies was on the third floor.

Clarke already knew the entirety of the layout on level 5 due to her own exploring while she had been here and level 2 thanks to Maya. The floor she was on was actually the bottom level and the one she had been on when she had destroyed the acid fog and so she knew the delinquents were not on at least three of the seven levels.

Level 3 was a possibility, but not a strong one as it was dominated by the kitchen, hydroponic farm and apartments. Levels 4, 6 and 7 were the two that Clarke suspected the delinquents were on. It was possible that they were in the cages on level 2, but Mbege had mentioned Sky People being taken away while he had been caged so it was likely that they were on another floor than the standard cages used for the Grounders on Level 2.

The fourth and sixth levels were ones Clarke had never even been on and neither had Maya apparently. It was off limits to most excluding the senior staff like Cage, Emerson, Tsing and of course Dante.

If Clarke had to bet then she was certain that her people were on either one of the floors. Lincoln and Echo were making their way to the room where they had been turned into Reapers and while they weren't sure what floor it was on they both agreed it was quite a long walk. So it was likely that it was on at least level 4.

The elevator across from Clarke dinged and the doors began to open. Clarke raised her hands and as the door opened she shot a large blast of psionic energy into the elevator. The guards had been wholly unprepared and three of then were taken out by the strong blast of energy.

Clarke noticed that Emerson was one of the incapacitated and she felt more than just a little bit of pleasure. The other guards had gotten of without any damage and they aimed their guns at Clarke before firing.

Clarke was already running towards one of the guards, however, and she dodged the bullets coming at her with extreme ease. Her speed far outstripping that of the bullets. A dagger of green light formed in her hand before she used to stab into the heart of the Guard.

The other Guards only realised that their shots had missed when their comrade collapsed to the ground after Clarke let go of him. There were only two left and a second later the same knife Clarke used to kill the other guard was embedded in the throat of the one closest to her.

The last remaining guard seemed unnerved by Clarke's perfect aim and he began to back away as he trained his rifle onto Clarke. The gun shook in the man's head as Clarke began to walk closer.

"Stop,"said the guard shakily as Clarke continued to advance. He stepped back as she advanced and the trembles across his body began to grow in intensity.

The man screamed in terror and anger and frustration before firing his gun. The bullets fired out rapidly and the man closed his eyes as he blindly fired at his target. He was only snapped out of his daze when he heard the click of an empty gun seconds later.

He opened his eyes slowly and he was dismayed to see Clarke standing behind a wall of red energy. His rifle was coated in the same energy and right before his eyes it was crumpled into a ball of metal.

He turned back to Clarke as he raised his hands to show his surrender and he fell to his knees. Clarke walked over to the man who was shaking more and more as she drew closer.

"Please,"said the man with panic clear as day in his voice,"I have a family. My kid is only 15 please spare me."

"Did you ever take the blood from the Grounders?"said Clarke and the man hesitated for a second before nodding.

"Did you take the bone marrow from my people?"said Clarke her voice a bit more cold and again the man nodded.

"The blood and marrow you took? They belonged to people who had families,"said Clarke as a knife of green light formed in her hand.

"Please,"said the man as he panicked at the sight of the knife,"I'll never take any more of the blood again. Lorelei said we still need to supplement ourselves with the blood of the Grounders for a few more weeks or the change won't hold."

"So you guys aren't actually full healed?"asked Clarke and the man nodded fervently, "We kept some more Grounders away from the caged ones. They're on Level 6. It has restricted access, but all of the Guards know at least a little about it. It's where the special Grounders are kept and where your friends are."

"What's on Level 4?"said Clarke with less aggression and the man seemed to relax slightly as he said,"Residences as well as the control centre, but that's about it. If you're looking for your friends than they're on the sixth level."

Clarke was silent for a few seconds before she placed her hand on his shoulder and said,"Thank you."

The man was about to speak, but a sharp pain in his chest cut off what he was about say. He reached for his chest and he was horrified as blood poured out and seeped between his fingers. He looked up to Clarke as she twisted the knife in his chest.

He groaned in pain even as he tried to remove the knife from his chest. It was all in vain as he could not muster nowhere near enough strength to move Clarke's knife out of his chest. His struggles began to slow until he still completely and it was only then that Clarke dispelled the knife in his chest. She let go of her grip on his shoulder and he collapsed forward with a heavy thud.

Clarke turned sharply towards the elevator as she heard something shifting and she saw a grenade bouncing towards her in the floor. Clarke waited for it to get closer before she kicked the grenade back towards where it had come from.

Emerson looked horrified as the grenade he had thrown headed back towards him and Clarke watched as the man tried to scramble to his feet, but it was in vain as the grenade exploded inside the elevator.

Emerson screamed in frustration and just as he got up to his knees there was a large explosion that rocked the floor. Clarke watched as the explosion died down and she knew that it would have attracted attention.

Clarke aimed her hands the fire in the elevator and she tried to fire ice out her hands. However, she was surprised when nothing came out. Clarke was confused and she tried once again, but it was to no avail.

How did this happen?

Clarke looked towards the other side of the room and she pulled her hand back before thrusting forward. A burst of air shot out her hand and the bullet casings in the room were sent flying from the force of the wind.

That settled it, then. Somehow her ice powers had been disabled. It was only now that it was in the forefront of her mind that she noticed it. She could still feel all of her other powers brimming just beneath the surface, but it was almost as of her connection to her ice powers had just disappeared entirely.

It had to have happened today because the last time she had used her ice powers was earlier that night when she had frozen–

Oh.

Clarke raised her hand to where she had been shot with a strange needle by the Guardian. It was too much of a coincidence for her to ignore. The last time she had used her ice powers was just before she had been shot with that dart.Now she couldn't use them anymore.

She would just have to be more careful then. If her hunch was right then he ice powers had been taken away because it was the one she had used most recently.

The fire in the elevator was dying down, but Clarke was not up for a ride with a bunch of corpses and the smell of burning flesh was irritating enough for her to look for a detour.

However, before any of that she had to cripple the Mountain Men.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Is there any word from Emerson's squad?"said Dante as he spoke into his radio.

"Radio silence, sir,"said the voice of Lionel as his voice crackled over the radio,"We got reports of a tremor and a fire started in the elevator, but we were able to extinguish it from here."

Dante himself was looking at his computer. It was divided into grids that showed him what every active camera in the Mountain was seeing. There were a few black squares that represented the ones that Clarke had destroyed.

He kept his eyes peeled for any sign of Clarke, but there was none to be found. A flicker at the corner of his eye drew his attention and he sat up straighter as one of the cameras on the fourth floor shut off.

"She's on the fourth–"said Dante into his radio, but he was stunned into silence as a camera on the second floor went out. Then one on the third. Now one on the sixth. They shut off in a random pattern and they had no way of knowing which floor she was on.

Soon, there was only one camera left on and it was with no small amount of trepidation that Dante realised it was the one in the hallway outside his office. He waited for it to shut down,but it never did.

"Find her,"said Dante into his radio,"She has to be somewhere in this Mountain. I want every Guard sweeping each and every floor. I want her found immediately. "

"Sir the elevators have been disabled. We can't move that many Guards–"

"Activate the elevators!"shouted Dante his frustration boiling over, "We have seven sets of elevators in this Mountain. That's enough for a patrol to take one to each floor. Leave the one that was on fire. I'm sure it is completely useless by now."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It had been an unnerving experience for Clarke as she climbed up the cable of the elevator that had been left on the bottom floor. Her invisibility cloak was on and she was deathly quiet, but even then she didn't have any room for error.

The elevator shaft was just roomy enough her for her to climb up. If she well she would not even have enough space to deploy her wings. She was sure that the Mountain Men were stripping each and every corner of each floor for her except for the first floor. As much as she wanted go directly to the sixth floor, she had to take care of business.

Clarke was not sure how many Guards were left, but she knew it couldn't be that high of a number. That was what she hoped at least. She had killed a decent amount with the acid fog explosion as well as the unit that had been sent after her and Anya.

Aside from Emerson and his unit, she hadn't seen any more. She was sure that Raven and Octavia had managed to take out a few as well during their fight with the Guards.

Clarke shook herself from her thoughts as shecame across a metallic door. The floors seemed to be extra thick and as such it had The sign above the door said it was level 2 and Clarke pulled her feet back before kicking out hard on one of the doors.

The door bent outwards from the sheer force and Clarke was able to swing out from the elevator shaft quite quickly. She heard footsteps approaching from further away and she wasn't that surprised as her entrance had been rather loud.

A man turned around the corner and Clarke was on him before his mind could fully process the sight of her. Her left covered his mouth and her right hand cupped the back of his head before she jerked her hands in opposite directions.

Clarke didn't flinch as the man's neck snapped and she slowly lowered his body to the floor as she went deeper into the floor. She made sure to use her invisibility cloak and this way she was able to get the drop on the unsuspecting guards. She was able to kill five more guards before she came across the last guard on the floor.

"Squadron 2, radio in,"said the woman as she searched through a room.

The woman paused for a second as no answer was given and she said with some annoyance in her voice,"Not this bullshit again. Guys this is routine. Radio check-ins every fifteen minutes. Now, radio in."

Clarke thought of getting closer, but she knew she was pushing it as it was. The other guards had been in rooms with carpeting and her steps had been silent. By some fortune, the woman was standing on some sort of surface that made her boots squeak with every step she took.

The woman seemed to realise with a start what was going on and she began to make her way towards the door of the room she was in. Just as she emerged from the doorway Clarke was able to grab onto her and a second later she had stabbed her with a knife.

Indra's power had proven to be useful for Clarke as she did not have to deal with the clinking of metal against metal with every step she took. She allowed the knife to disperse as the woman slumped over.

Clarke had been going for subtlety and that meant she could not afford to use something flashy to take down just one person. She wanted to take out as many guards as as possible to avoid detection.

Her trick with the cameras was probably playing on Dante's mind. It had taken her a while to hack into the Mountain, but with the damage Monty had done to it's security it had been easier than her last time in here.

Clarke contemplated taking the woman's radio with her, but she decided against it in the end. She made her way back into the elevator shaft and she made sure she had a firm grip on the cable before walking up again.

She reached the third floor in no time and in a manner similar to the previous floor she kicked down the door blocking her way. Unfortunately for her, there was a man stationed just outside of the elevator and he shouted into his radio before Clarke grabbed onto him.

"Target found on elevator landing 3A! I repeat target–"

She would soon be swarmed with guards and Clarke knew she had to act fast. Clarke threw the man into the elevator shaft behind her before she stood her ground as she waited for the inevitable storm. The man screamed in horror as he descended, but that faded away until it was cut off entirely.

There was an elevator directly opposite her in the room that was clearly a landing area of sorts for the two elevators on this side of the this floor. Clarke could see by the number above it's door that it was currently stationed on the seventth floor. The number stayed at ''7" for a few seconds before turning to 6.

This gave Clarke an idea and she ran across the room. She heard the pounding of boots on the floor getting louder and louder as the guards in the floor rushed to her location. Clarke put her fingers in between the seam of the elevator doors before she began to wrench then apart.

The metal groaned in protest at first, but it quickly succumbed to Clarke's efforts. The elevator's cable was straining as it worked to bring the elevator down. Clarke activated her flame armour before she dropped straight down the shaft.

She used occasional bursts of flame from her hands and feet to slow her descent and she landed safely on the ground. The cable was still whirring away in front of her and Clarke grabbed onto the cable. It began to melt underneath the intense heat and force of the elevator.

Finally, it snapped and there was a loud racket above Clarke as the elevator ground to a halt. Clarke could still see the light pouring in from the third floor and she knew that the elevator was stuck in between floor.

Clarke focused on the elevator before she flew up in a burst of fire. This type of flying was way less maneuverable, but it was perfect for what she intended to do. Clarke sped upwards like a bullet and she raised both her arms above her head before she punched into the elevator and out the top.

Clarke switched into a hover before she grabbed onto the cable above the elevator. It seemed to give away almost immediately under the pressure of sustaining the elevator's weight and the heat of Clarke's flames. The elevator was now in freefall and Clarke watched as it sped up towards the ground before jerking to a halt once it reached the bottom of the shaft.

Clarke was pretty sure that the Guards were all waiting for her in the third floor and so she simply continued to fly up until she reached the fourth floor. Her entrance was more discreet as she was able to carve out a rectangular piece of the door before she allowed it to fall behind her.

Luckily, there was no one around and Clarke was able to turn on her cloak as she made her way through the floor. Her first target didn't seemed to sense her approach and she was able to cut the woman's throat before letting her fall to the ground.

The next three guards all followed a similar pattern as Clarke was able to get in close and deliver a fatal stab to one of the major arteries. Blood was beginning to stick to her clothes and skin as she killed more and more of the guards. The control centre was on this floor and it had been easy for her to get in with the key card of one of the Guards and dispose of the lone man in there

Instead of going back to the elevator shaft she simply used the elevator and made way for the fifth floor. This was the level with the dining hall. She was able to sneak in like before, but it was only a few seconds later that she realised the floor was eerily silent. She kept up her invisibility cloak and she was shocked to note that the entire floor had been emptied out completely.

The floor was chillingly empty and Clarke was about to go the next level when she heard laughter from around the corner. Clarke kept her invisibility cloak up and she rounded the corner and she was surprised to see the words 'Mount Weather Nursery' above a door.

Clarke was able to sense with her technopathy that the door had been sealed shut. Clarke crept closer to the door and she peered through the window into the room. Children were running around laughing under the eyes of their parents.

How dare they play with their kids while injecting themselves with the blood of some other parent's child?

Clarke watched as a small boy, maybe 3 years, tumbled to the floor and began to cry. The boy was swiftly picked up by a woman who immediately began to console him.

How many children couldn't be consoled by their parents because of the Mountain Men's selfish need for blood?

Blood must have blood.

Clarke hadn't even noticed that her hand was beginning to crumple the metal of the door handle until it cut into her hand. Blood as dark as night dripped to the floor and they made small spots on the pristine floor. It was only then that she was jolted to her senses.

What was wrong with her? She would not, could not, possibly go in there. The adults in there all had soft bodies in comparison to the athletic forms of the Guard. They were just ordinary people. Brothers. Sisters. Husbands. Wives.

She was already enough of a monster. There was no need to darken her soul further.

Clarke walked back to the elevator shaft and she began to descend to the third floor.

That's where the real monsters were.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He really should have moved.

That was what was going through Murphy's head as he tried to pull himself up from the ground. He had been thrown in with the rest of the mutineers who were bruised and battered, but luckily it seemed as though there was no one dead.

He had been discovered quickly and after managing to kill the guard that found him with his gun he had been chased by the rest of the guards on the floor. They had caught him in the elevator landing. The floor was split into two sections by the landing and he was about to try his luck with the other section when he had been bundled into from behind.

He had only been able to see a bunch of people turning around the corner on that side of the floor before they began to drag him back. Murphy didn't even try to protest his innocence. They had figured out he didn't have his shock tag anymore and that was what had given him a head start even though he had been caught in the end.

The others in the room seemed scared and worried and it was only a matter of time before the guards killed them. There was no way Dante would let the traitors go back to their ordinary lives.

The room was completely silent as the guards watched over them. So it was a bit of a shock to everyone's system when the radios of the guards burst to life.

"Control centre, report,"said a panicked voice that must have belonged to a man,"Squadron 3 is getting decimated. She's sneaking up on us somehow. I've already found 4 dead. I think I've managed to shake her, but–"

The radios fell silent suddenly and the guards in the room exchanged glances with each other looking very uneasy. The man that was in charge of the squad of five lifted his radio and spoke into it.

"Control centre,"said the man,"Target is currently on the third floor. Isolate Level 3."

There was no response and Murphy had to hide his smirk at the panic rising up in the Guards.

"Control centre?"said the man hesitantly,"Come in."

"They're dead,"said Murphy and he didn't flinch even as the man held his gun out towards him.

"Shut up,"growled the man and Murphy obliged the man even as he kept up his smirk. The room had grown silent once again and the man was about to give orders to his team when the creaking of the vents drew their attention.

The guards seemed to panic at the sound and they instantly began to fire up at the ceiling. Their leader didn't seem to agree with this, but his protestations were unheard over the roar of gunfire.

Soon, the four guards had emptied their guns and the room grew silent again. The civilians had crouched together as they hoped to avoid any damage from the guns.

"I did not command you to shoot,"said the man as he rebuked his team before lifting up his radio,"President Wallace, bogey found in the vents of 6B planning extraction–"

Whatever the man was about to say was cut off as the grate of the vent burst open. A tall woman Murphy had never seen burst out the vent. She had two knives in her hand and she was able to sink one of those into the eye of the guard closest to her.

The woman was swift and elegant as she stabbed another guard that tried to grab before wrenching her knife free. She threw it across the room and it slammed into the neck of a woman who had been reloading her gun.

The woman didn't seem to be aware that the leader's gun was loaded and Murphy scrambled across the floor tackling the man just as he fired. The sound of gunfire rattled Murphy's ears, but he used all his strength to keep the gun pointed up at the ceiling.

The gun finally clicked showing that it needed to be reloaded and both Murphy and the man paused before they wrestled over the gun again. Murphy was able to get the gun and he pinned the man down with it by the neck.

The man thrashed and struggled underneath the gun, but Murphy kept pushing down until the man stopped moving entirety. The man's eyes were wide open and glassy and Murphy moved the gun away from the man's neck before allowing it to drop to the floor.

He stood up, but he was surprised to see the woman who had attacked earlier simply watching him. There was some confusion in the room as their saviour had somehow evaded any damage from the guns before dropping down and taking out four of the guards.

The people were calm as they realised she was on their side, but they still seemed antsy as they had likely never come face to face with a Grounder. The woman held out her hand to Murphy and he made to shake it, but he was surprised when she gripped him by the forearm instead.

"My name is Echo,"said the woman as she stepped away from Murphy and instead made for the door. It had a magnetic lock with a keypad sensor and she used her knife to destroy the lock on the outside. She slammed the door shut and to Murphy's relief the door stayed firmly closed.

"Not that I'm glad you're helping,"said Murphy to Echo as the other occupants in the room began to move and stretch for the first time in hours,"Why are you alone? Where's the rest of the army? I'm pretty sure Clarke is leading the line–"

"You know Klark?"Echo asked and her gaze was just a bit too intense and cold for Murphy.

He looked away from her and said,"I came down with her from our home in the sky. She was our leader before everything happened...How do you know Clarke?"

Murphy had turned his gaze back on Echo and he was surprised to see her staring off into space. The woman was silent for a bit longer until she said,"I used to be a Reaper. Clarke cured me and the others that were with me. We had been abandoned by the Commander and if it weren't for Clarke I'd still be a Reaper."

"Abandoned by who?"said Murphy loudly and he sighed heavily as a few of the others in the room turned towards them.

Clarke was on her own?

Murphy knew for a fact that if he had been given the shot he would have used it to get the hell out of dodge. It was good that someone like Clarke got it because if it had been someone like him instead than Murphy would probably be scraped of bone marrow come tomorrow.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Raven screamed as the drill bore into her flesh. Her body hurt unlike anything she had ever gone through in her life. Getting knocked out by her landing in the pod was nothing to this constant and pervasive pain.

"You're strong,"said Lorelei as she continued to drill into her hip,"Most other people would have fallen unconscious by now. This is already your fourth donation. I have to tell you that anymore than six and you will be dead."

Raven wished for the life of her that her powers could return. She knew what she would to this bitch as soon as she broke free. Break her arms and legs and then after that she'd shove that drill–

Raven's thoughts were cut off as another massive wave of pain rushed through her. He throat was hoarse from all the screaming and even in her daze she knew that the delinquents had begun to wake up one by one, but they remained silent out of disgust and probably some form of self-preservation.

The pain alleviated almost immediately as the drill was taken out of her. Raven was just barely able to hear the door opening before the voice of Cage was heard.

"Lorelei. We're leaving,"said Cage and Raven was able to see out the corner of her eye that Cage stood in the doorway along with someone else,"I've already set up White Feather to cover our retreat."

"Your father agreed?"asked Lorelei in shock and she received an immediate denial from Cage.

"I convinced him,"said Cage his voice laden with irritation, "Dad is too laidback. I love him, but he would never agree to it on his own. This is the best way to keep him alive and cover our asses. Clarke destroyed the surveillance system completely. The fool said he'll join is after dealing with Clarke. I've already got a few guards with us. We need a few vials and then we're good to go."

Lorelei immediately began to pack the vials she had made using Raven's blood as she said,"Where did you set it up?"

"The Franco Room,"said Cage as he adjusted the person in front of him who was clearly a captive,"Clarke probably will fall for the bait and go to the sixth floor looking for these kids. By the time she gets up here, if she even does, then we'll be long gone."

Lorelei was done and she packed a few more supplies before she pointed at who Raven assumed was Cage's captive,"What about her? We already have enough bone marrow."

"She's our bargaining chip,"said Cage and the man finally shifted into Raven's vision. Raven made eye contact with Diana Sydney who looked weak and unsteady on her feet. Her brain didn't even have enough time to process befor Cage and Tsing were out the door as they left it wide open.

"Raven?"said Jasper suddenly, "You okay?"

"Do I look okay to you?"said Raven, but a lot of the sting was taken out her voice as the pain from the bone marrow extraction and her knee still lingered. Tsing had done Raven the 'mercy' of repairing her arteries and veins, but Raven knew that the ligaments were definitely a mess.

"How's my knee looking?"Raven asked and the silence she received unsettled her.

"That bad?"Raven tried again, but she was once again ignored by everyone else.

"Are you Skaikru? "said a voice from the still open door and Raven wracked her mind to identify it.

It hit her barely a second later.

"Lincoln?"said Raven and as the sound of footsteps grew louder she was eventually rewarded with the sight of the man,"What are you doing here?"

"Clarke sent me,"said Lincoln as he searched the desk next to the operating table before coming away with a key,"She sent me and another person to find you. I'm not sure where Clarke is, but the other woman is a level below us. We found other people being held captive as we travelled through the ceiling. We caused a distraction and she was able to kill the Guards."

Raven's wrists were completely free and she took the key from Lincoln as she said, "Help the others out their cage I'll be alright."

Lincoln nodded and luckily the master key for the cages were nearby. The sound of cages being unlocked soothed Raven and she listened to the sobs and groans of the delinquents as they were finally let out of their cages. Raven tried to sit up, but this caused her knee to shift and she fell back down.

Her eyes were clenched in pain and she cursed slowly as the pain rendered her useless. She was about to call out for someone, anyone, when the shackle on her uninjured leg was undone.

"Okay,"said Maya and for the life of her Raven could not guess at when the girl had been brought into the cages with them,"We're going to have to be careful with your knee. No bleeding I think Tsing took care of that, but there is some serious damage to the ligaments and tendons. It'd be safer if you didn't move it at all."

Raven closed her eyes in frustration at Maya's words, but she calmed down slightly as the girl undid the shackle. Raven watched as the woman walked to one of the cupboards in the room before she returned with a syringe filled with some clear liquid.

"I know you're in pain,"said Maya as she began to prep the syringe, "We probably won't need to move away from here. This is the top floor and Clarke is on her way up anyways. This will knock you out for a bit, but it's for the best."

Raven shook her head as Maya injected her once she was done speaking,"Maya, no. I have to be awake. You guys need me. I can't just–"

Maya had ignored Raven's protests entirely and the woman's body slumped as the effects of the drug took hold.

"Why did you do that?"said Monty as he walked up to Maya.

"It would be evil to keep her awake in such pain,"said Maya and Monty's face gree calm at he reasoning.

"You're right,"said Monty as he watched Lincoln pull out the last of them,a barely conscious Octavia, from the cages,"We just need to lock the door and ride out the army's assault on the Mountain. "

"There is no army,"said Lincoln calmly,"Clarke has been fighting the Mountain Men in her own. She is strong and smart. Her powers were not taken away by whatever the Mountain Men have done to us. She will win."

Lincoln's calmness in the face of such dark news did wonders to calm the nerves in the room. It didn't escape anyone's notice that he was in the clothes of Reapers, but there was only so much they could focus on.

All they could do now was lock themselves in the room and hope for Clarke to prevail because as they were they would only get in her way.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Clarke stayed calm as the elevator ascended up to the sixth level. She knew that they knew she was coming and so she hadn't bothered with any stealth. Her friends were on the sixth level and she had to make sure they were alive before she did anything else.

She had been able to kill all the guards on the third floor and while one had gotten a message out it had barely made a difference. They definitely knew she was coming regardless and Clarke prepared herself as the elevator stopped at the sixth floor.

There were two directions she could go in, two doors leading into hallways that split off in opposite directions. The one on her left called to her and it was only because of the sign above the door.

"Authorised Personnel Only,"read Clarke as she stared at the door. It was locked, but since she was still synched with the Mountain it took barely a second for the door to open for her.

The halls and doors were pristine and clean like the rest of the Mountain and oddly enough there were no twists and turns. It was simply a long straight hallway. She also noticed that there were also no cameras at all which put her more on edge.

Whatever was here was too sensitive to even get on camera.

Clarke finally reached a break in the monotony as she reached a large door that had the letters R and D over the top.

Research and Development.

Clarke pushed the door open and this part of the restricted wing seemed to have more life. There was one large corridor, but this one actually had smaller ones split off from the main one.

Clarke walked down the hall deciding to forgo her invisibility cloak. It was already hard enough to stay synched with the Mountain adding anything else on top of that along with whatever powers she might need to use to fight and she might just get overloaded if she used the cloak as well.

Clarke sped up her check of this floor as she swept the rooms at lightning speed. Every room was drawing a blank even the one that was labelled Cerberus was devoid of any life except for a few Grounders/Reapers that had bullet holes in their head.

Clarke was soon almost done with her sweeping, but there was one room she hadn't entered. It was at the end of the hallway. There was a plaque next to it's enormous doors and Clarke walked closer to read it.

"Franco Testing Centre,"said Clarke until her eyes were able to read the smaller print,"Sponsored by Eternus Industries and Eligius Corporation. "

There were also some words in some language that Clarke guessed was Latin. Her medical training had given her just the most basics of the language mostly the names of diseases and plants and bacteria.

"Ascende Superius,"said Clarke as she tried to pronounce the words correctly.

Clarke waited for a few seconds and she wasn't surprised when nothing happened. She was about to command the doors to open when they opened of their own accord.

They opened inwards and Clarke was treated to the sight of a mob of Mount Weather civilians standing in perfect formation. They were over 200 in number as they stood in a perfectly rectangular formation. The sound of shutters rolling behind her drew Clarke's attention. She watched as thick metallic doors cordoned off any chance she had at escape.

The mob held a variety of weapons from knives to swords and some even had guns of varying sizes.

"What is this?"said Clarke mostly to herself, but she was surprised to receive a response.

"This is your fault, "said the voice of Dante Wallace from hidden speakers,"I never wanted to involve the citizens in this, but you left me no choice. You decimated the Guard. You cut their throats and broke their necks and burned their bodies. They were our best fighters and if quality could not do the job then quantity will."

Clarke realised that Dante intended for her to fight the civilians, but looking at them she couldn't bring herself to make the first move. They looked like robots, no emotion and they were all perfectly still. It was almost as if some switch–

"Is this what I think it is?"said Clarke and she knew instinctively that she was right.

Project Everyman.

"The ball is in your court, Clarke,"said Dante and his voice ws beginning to wear on Clarke,"There is no way for you to deactivate the White Feather Protocol. It's a drug far stronger than that used on the Reapers. Enhanced strength and reflexes. Higher levels of pain tolerance. There's only one way to stop them, Clarke."

"Do they even know that you brainwashed them?"asked Clarke as she began to walk backwards.

"Of course they do,"said Dante his voice having gained a deep timbre," Would you really kill all of these people? I told then that if they kill you then they get cured. You're a monster and don't deserve to live. These innocent people do. Would you really kill them for wanting to escape this Mountain? Are you truly that evil?"

Clarke felt her posture relax at Dante's words. He was right. She couldn't fight against them. They did not deserve to be killed. She was the one that should die. So many people had suffered and died because of her.

Her strength was a curse.

It should never have been given to anyone much less her. It would be best if she just gave in. Dante would be able to reverse engineer the Novus and give it to someone more worthy.

Clarke sunk to her knees as one of the citizens approached her. The man had a pistol in his hand and he moved in a stiff and a jerky manner. The man lifted his pistol and soon Clarke was staring down it's barrel.

"We'll take good care of the Ark,"said Dante his voice having a calming effect on her,"Jasper. Monty. Bellamy. Octavia. Raven. They will all be safe. You won't have to worry about your people anymore."

Clarke felt a part of herself accepting Dante's words. It would be so easy to just let go. However, there was an even bigger part of her that refused to give up. Her friends were still trapped and she could not leave them to fight for themselves.

She would not.

Clarke snapped out of her daze and she ripped the gun from the man in front of her. She slammed it into his temple and the man collapsed in a heap.

"Why do you have a power while your people don't, Dante?"said Clarke her brain fully caught up now. This was the second time she had fallen for Dante's weird hypnosis or power of suggestion. The ideas he suggested seemed to originate from within her and it had almost made her give up without fighting at all.

It was less obvious than fire or lightning, but far more devastating in the right hands.

"Dante,"said Clarke coldly as she raised her hands towards the people opposite her,"Call your people off. I don't want to do this."

There was no response for a few seconds until the man finally spoke,"You know I can't do that. You'd just wait for another chance to kill us."

Clarke didn't bother with responding. They both knew he was telling the truth. There was too much bad blood between them for their people to just ignore each other's existence.

Only one group would be walking out the Mountain at the end of the day.

"I'm sorry you have to see this,"said Clarke and she didn't even wait for response as she formed daggers of light.

She dashed right into the crowd at full speed. Her speed was so great that her opponents did not seem to realise she was amongst them. Clarke stabbed her knive into her first victim before pulling out and stabbing another in the chest.

The crowd was almost perfectly still as Clarke swept through them unimpeded. It had been a gamble on Dante's side. There was realistically no way these civilians could hope to beat Clarke even with the drugs pumping through their system.

Their bodies were frail and slow. Punches that would have only stunned Ontari momentarily broke spines and dented skulls.

Stabs that Anya would have dodged with ease made their mark time after time again.

Bolts of lightning and plumes of fire that Octavia and Bellamy could withstand or redirect cleaved through the civilians.

It took only twenty seconds.

Clarke slowed to a halt as she realised she had no more opponents. Blood was splattered across the floor, walls and indeed her body. In one direction, broken bodies slumped laid still on the floor. In another, burnt and blackened bodies stood huddled as if they had been taken out all at once.

Blood flowed from the wounds of those Clarke hadn't killed immediately. It would be all over for them in a matter of moments. The air was filled with the putrid smell of blood and burnt flesh and Clarke was beginning to feel dizzy from the over bearing smells.

Clarke made her way back to the elevator as she walked over and around the corpses of two hundred people who had just wanted a shot at freedom. Their only mistake being on the wrong side of the conflict.

The guilt and shame she felt was pressing down on her and forced her to step up her speed as she left the massacre behind her. She walked straight to the elevator and pressed the button that had the sumber seven emblazoned on it.

It was a short trip and Clarke walked at a steady pace as she followed the twists and turns to Dante's office. She reached it and she was surprised to find the door unlocked. She turned the handle and stepped inside before encountering a decidedly unexpected sight.

Dante was in his seat, but there was blood leaking from his head. It was only as Clarke got around the desk that she saw the pistol in his hand smoke still trailing from it's barrel.

Clarke ignored the cooling corpse of the leader of the Mountain as she searched his desk. It was only a few seconds later that she was able to find a detailed map of the Mountain.

Clarke left the door of the office open as she followed the route to where she believed her friends were held. It was clear that only a select few had known that the seventh floor had it's own research centre.

Clarke dashed through the hallways before she eventually stopped in front of a door that had a damaged card reader. Clarke heard unfamiliar voices and she was about to kick down the door when she placed whi the voices belong to.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"How long do we have to stay in here?"said Jasper as he laid down in the floor.

"As long as we have to,"said Octavia her own annoyance leaking through her voice.

The monotony of their wait for new information had sapped the jubilant crowd of delinquents after about fifteen minutes. They had no way of knowing what was happening and it was maddening. The majority of them were toying with the scalpers and knives they had in case an unfriendly face opened the door.

The only new information they had gotten was that the Commander had abandoned the Arkers to their fate and taken a deal to free the Grounder prisoners despite Clarke having jumped through hoops to secure their place in the Coalition.

Octavia was not sure why Bellamy or Finn weren't with Clarke and she could not help, but feel that perhaps this time her brother had been killed. Lincoln had said Clarke seemed angry and sad and determined all at once.

Octavia was not sure of everything that had happened since Clarke's escape, but it sounded like there had been very trying on the girl. It was almost as if she had gone through something similar to the pain Raven had and was still going through.

The mechanic was still laying on the operating table and Maya kept an eye on her even as she administered first aid to the few that needed it. None of them were particularly hurt or injured. It was mostly hunger and thirst that had been sapping away at their strength.

Raven, on the other hand, had suffered far more physically than anyone of them. Even under the effects of the drug Maya had given her she still twitched and moaned which did wonders for everyone's morale.

Jasper was speaking a bit too loudly again about something and Octavia was about to complain when the sound of the door opening drew their attention.

Lincoln immediately rose to his feet and so did those closest to the door. The man was standing in between Octavia and the door and as she made her way to his side he seemed somewhat hesitant before he allowed to move next to him.

The sight that awaited them stunned them all in silence. A rather short girl in Grounder clothing with light metal armour that was gold strangely enough. However, the thing that's stood out the most was the blood that covered the girl. Her face was a strange mix of dried blood and some purplish paste. Her blonde hair also had some blood in it and her blue eyes–

Octavia froze as she looked closer at the girl and she surprised everyone in the room by running straight to the door and giving Clarke a hug. The other girl seemed surprised by the suddenness of it all, but she didn't stumble as she returned the hug.

"You're okay,"said Clarke once she stepped back and everyone seemed to have gradually realised who it was that had found them,"I had to send Bellamy back, but I had to promise him I was going to get you out."

"He's alive?"said Octavia with happiness in her voice and Clarke nodded as a small smile grew on her face.

"Clarke!"said Jasper before he pulled her away from Octavia and into the crowd that had formed around them. Octavia smiled as she watched her friends all greeted Clarke individually. Clarke was pulled this way and that, but the cheery mood in the room dropped as Clarke finally spotted Raven.

Clarke walked away from Harper and immediately her hand was placed on Raven's forehead. Octavia watched as Clarke seemed to grimace before she moved her hands to hover over Raven's prone body. Green light shone from Clarke's palms as Raven gradually healed and Octavia watched in morbid fascination as her knee realigned itself and began to knit itself back together.

The process seemed to have woken Raven up who stared up at Clarke in confusion before she finally spoke,"Clarke? How did you–"

"A lot of fighting, "said Clarke and her words were clipped as if she didn't want to go over the details again. Her tone changed as she stepped away from Raven who looked mostly patched up as she said,"You had extreme damage to your knee. It'll take months for you to be back to your usual self. You should avoid any physical exertion at all costs."

Maya had disappeared sometime during the healing and she returned with a wheelchair. Raven stared at the wheelchair as she realised that she probably was not out of the woods just yet.

Octavia felt bad for Raven as she knew that the girl would prefer to be up and about to keep herself busy. Raven didn't strike Octavia as someone who would be happy with not being fully mobile for a while.

"Where's Finn?"said Raven suddenly and it was a curious thing as Clarke's face changed and immediately they all knew. Raven pulled Clarke into a hug and Octavia watched as Clarke's face shine with turmoil.

Raven's sobs were the only sound made in the room as she pulled Clarke closer to herself. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Raven's sobs gradually grew softer and Octavia realised Raven had passed out.

"You guys need to head down to the sixth floor,"said Clarke after she loaded Raven onto the wheelchair,"I'll cure the Mountainers in there and then we'll head for Camp Jaha."

The delinquents began to file out and Maya pulled Clarke into a quick hug before she began to push Raven away. Soon, only Lincoln, Clarke and Octavia remained in the room.

"Listen Clarke I'm sorry for what I said to you,"said Octavia and she looked away from the probing gaze of her friend,"It was just–"

Octavia was cut off as she was pulled into a hug by Clarke. The smell of fire and blood didn't really bother the younger girl all that much, but it did make her feel concerned about what Clarke had done.

They finally separated and as they began to walk out the room ,along with a perfectly silent Lincoln, Octavia was surprised when Clarke went in the opposite direction of the elevator.

"Where are you going?"said Octavia, but Clarke waved her off as she said,"You guys still don't have your powers. I saw something on a map that makes me think I know where to shut off whatever it is. I'll be down there soon."

Octavia accepted Clarke's words and she tried not to let Clarke's state stress her out too much just yet.

They first had to get outside this dump.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

With all that had happened, Clarke was beating herself up for forgetting that Finn had died. By her hand.

Raven had already been through a lot and even her healing had only done so much for the girl. Finding out that one of her friends had killed her ex-boyfriend and brother in all, but blood would devastate her.

It was why Clarke was glad she had an excuse to stay away from the crowd even if only for a little bit. There was only so much she could deal with at a time.

The corridor she walking down much like others was perfectly uniform with doors on each side all leading into empty rooms. However, Clarke ignored them for the most part as her destination was the end of the corridor.

The door at the end were bigger than usual and surprisingly enough did not open when she used her technopathy. This meant that it was somehow disconnected from the Mountain or something to that effect.

If Clarke was in doubt of being in the wrong place then all of that had all just evaporated. Her fingers were able to get a grip on the door and she pulled with all her might. The doors were tightly shut, but after a few more seconds the metal began to groan before it gave way completely as the doors slid open.

Clarke walked in and she was surprised to find herself on the other side of an observation window. She peered through the window and she was surprised to see a rather pale woman in drab clothing lying down on a bed.

Clarke opened the door that led and as she got closer she noticed that there was something plugged into the arm of the woman. The cable ran off into the wall and probably spread throughout the Mountain.

Clarke pulled it out and she was surprised to see that it was simply a tube with no special wiring. She turned back to the woman lying on the bed and she grimaces as she took in the needle marks along her neck.

A quick check with Insight told Clarke that there were traces of a drug in her system, but it was gine now presumably the Mountain Men had not given her another dosage. Clarke shook the shoulder of the woman and her blonde hair moved with the motion.

A few seconds later, her eyes opened and the woman seemed to be stunned by the sight of Clarke as she began to move backwards. However, her motion was very uncoordinated and uncontrolled. She was about to fall off the bed, but Clarke managed to catch her in time and she put the woman back onto the bed.

"Don't worry,"said Clarke calmly as the woman stared at her warily,"I'm not with the Mountain Men. I'm with the Sky People and I'm here to get you out?"

"There is no Sky People, "said the woman and her voice was rather scratchy, but that didn't stop her from conveying her distrust.

"You must have been in here for long,"said Clarke as she took in the pale skin of the woman. She was definitely a Grounder. Her skin was pale, but looked extremely healthy compared to the pallid skin of the Mountain Men.

"We're a new clan,"said Clarke as she continued to look over the other woman for any signs of poor health,"We landed in Trikru territory a few months ago and my people got captured by the Mountain Men. I managed to convince the Commander to fight with us and became one of her generals, but she took a deal that left my people stuck inside here."

"Le–Heda would never stoop to accept a deal with the Maunon,"spat the woman, but Clarke could see that the woman didn't quite believe her own words.

"That's what I thought too,"said Clarke and they were silent for a few seconds before Clarke spoke up again,"My name is Clarke. Clarke Griffin."

"Clarke..."

The woman tried to get a feel for her name and once she did get used to it said,"Thank you for saving me, Clarke. I thought you were one of the Maunon, but the blood on your clothes tells me otherwise. I just realised you do not know my name. I'm not from any clan, but I was inducted into one many years ago."

The woman was silent as she seemed to reminisce about something for a few seconds before she said words that completely rattled Clarke.

"My name is Costia kom Trikru. It's nice to meet you."

Clarke had no words. How could she? She was deep into the Mountain and she had just found out the person responsible for the delinquents' powers disappearing was not just any Grounder, but the supposedly dead girlfriend of the Commander.

_Great._

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Author Notes:**

**Clarke finds and cures a reaper-fied Lincoln and Echo. Mount Weather falls. Clarke and the delinquents reunite and Clarke finds a ghost so to speak.**

**That's the bulk of Mount Weather done. Next chapter is tying up some loose ends and the immediate fallout from Lexa's decision.**

**I've known from pretty early on that Costia would be trapped in the Mountain and you guys will get the lowdown on that soon enough.**

**Please d****rop a review and tell me what your thoughts are on this chapter. There were some twists I'd imagine.**


	17. Homecoming

**If it helps think of Costia as Saoirse Ronan.**

**Anyways, let's go.**

* * *

Clarke was not sure how she should feel right now. She had had an inkling of a suspicion that the reason the delinquents powers, as well as Echo and Lincoln, was because of a person and not a machine.

She just didn't expect that person to be the dead girlfriend of the Commander.

"How long have you been in here?"said Clarke and luckily Costia didn't quite seem to sense her discomfort as she responded.

"I'm not sure,"said Costia her voice sounding tired and haunted,"I remember my time at the beginning. They had taken my blood while I was in the cages. They did this to everyone, but I got taken away soon after that."

Clarke felt sympathy for the woman as Costia's face filled with distaste as she recounted her experiences, "They said my blood was special and that they would need to keep alive for as long as possible. I don't know how, but they always managed to knock me out when I was in here or at least at the beginning. Whenever I woke up they would drain me of my blood. "

That was not something Clarke expected. She figure that Costia must have been important or special in some way, but finding out that they used her for her blood was confusing to say the least. Costia seemed to recognise Clarke's confusion as she continued to speak.

"I found out later why they wanted my blood specifically, "said Costia as she stated off in space,"They said my blood was able to be changed into whatever they needed. It was the woman that told me. They used my blood for their crops and even in their medicine. She said that they used machines to change my blood to be able to do whatever they wanted."

It was only now that Clarke could see the importance that Cage and Lorelei had identified in Costia's blood. If Costia's blood could be manipulated to act as fertiliser or a specific sort of medicine then it would make sense that they would make every effort to keep her alive.

"I almost never had to have powers before,"said Costia calmly, "I only fought a few times in my life, but once I was in Polis i was safe. When Lexa became mine I never went anywhere without her nearby. Lexa trained me whenever she could and once she became Heda, Anya was never too far away from me either– Lexa's orders even though neither of them would admit it. So when I was in here I felt so alone and weaker than I had ever been."

Costia paused for a few seconds before she continued, "Sometime after they began draining me of my blood it seemed they realised that there was more to me. They told me that they had found out my blood was so special as a side effect of my powers. They told me I had two, one that they had discovered by studying my blood. The first was that I could control the effects my blood could have. I could make it so that plants grow or metal melted. They tried to convince me to use the first one to help them."

"I was strong at first,"said Costia her voice rich with sarcasm,"I thought Lexa would come save me. For months, they would starve me or torture me or press me for information. I held out hope that Lexa would come...until I didn't. It started out small. I would tell them where I lived and what certain words were in Trigedasleng. "

"I only did just enough to make sure I'd survive,"said Costia and Clarke noted that her hands were gripping the blanket tightly,"I would give them my blood, but never to the specifications they wanted. My answers were short and I never gave them more. They seemed fine with it until..."

"Until?"asked Clarke as Costia's voice trailed off.

"They began to give me some substance, "said Costia before she rubbed her neck where the needle marks were,"It did something to me. It was similar to Jobi nuts, but far worse. They would ask me for something and if I obeyed they gave it to me. If not they let me deal with the after effects. I could barely breathe, my skin burnt and my body shook. I had to either give up everything I knew on my people or go through immense pain."

"There were times I tried to fight it,"said Costia and Clarke noted that her voice was beginning to sound tired,"After some time I couldn't even do that. I told myself that there was no point. I was prepared to die in here."

Costia had reclined back onto the bed her voice having gradually faded. However, that didn't stop Clarke from hearing her last words.

"You saved me."

The sheer relief in Costia's voice was apparent and Clarke knew that she would have to do more to help the other woman. The Mountain Men had gotten her hooked on some souped version of the Reaper drug and used it bend Costia to their will.

Costia had mentioned having two powers and Clarke knew instinctively that Costia's second power had to be power negation. She was proven correct a second later as she placed a hand on Costia's forehead and analysed her body with Insight.

The damage to her system was startling now that she had a proper look. Her muscles had lost any and all tone they had previously had and that was only the beginning. Her body showed signs of severe dependency on the drug and it must have been recently administered for Costia to have been as calm and coherent during their talk.

That was aside from the permanent damage done to the liver, nervous system and the endocrine system. The drug was designed to linger in the victim's body and cause horrifying visions and sensations. The only way to rid oneself if these sensations was to take more of the drug.

That in itself was bad, but what was even worse was that the more the user took then the higher the amounts of residue would be left behind. The higher the residue then the more intense the sensations and thus the more one would have to take to cancel them out.

Clarke's hands glowed white as she began to modify Costia's damaged systems. The same method she had used to cure Maya should work just as well on Costia. The damage had been permanent and Clarke had to essentially rebuild parts of Costia's bodily systems.

The gravity of what she was doing was not lost on Clarke. In truth, she wasn't aware of each and every detail, but instead it was more of a case of being able to impose her will so to speak. It was how she had boosted Maya's immunity to radiation and it was what she was doing here to help Costia.

The tremors and visions would disappear and with the Mountain Men dead then there would be no need to worry about the drug being made again.

Clarke was finally done and she looked down at Costia who had stayed asleep throughout the procedure. Her hair was a darker shade of blonde closer to Anya's hair in colour then Clarke's.

The parts of her body that could be seen had faint marks that were either from torture or the fights that she had been in her life. It was probably both in fact.

Clarke looked at Costia and with a sigh she picked up the woman and held her in a bridal carry. She had to get to her friends and heal up the Mountain Men on their side before heading for Camp Jaha. Clarke's mom might have a problem with the influx of refugees, but Clarke could not for the life of her send then away or lock them in the Mountain. That would not help anyone.

Costia barely slowed Clarke down and so she was able to leave the drab room behind as she made for the elevator.

The thoughts of what to do with Costia ran rampant through Clarke's head. In the end, she knew that she couldn't trick herself. There was only one option in all of this.

* * *

Getting captured by the Maunon had been terrible for Echo. She had been hit with one of their darts on her assignment from Queen Nia and her powers had failed her. Even then she had put up a strong fight. That had served to be her undoing.

She had been sent with some of the other warriors to a strange room. They had tied her up to a chair and shocked her while playing some noise. It had been manageable until they had given the Red to her.

The Red brought the worst out of her and for the longest time Echo served as a slave to the Red. She would gladly abduct Trikru and Azgeda and Boudalan and whoever was unfortunate enough to cross her path.

Her entire time as a Reaper was both muddled and clear in her mind. The memories seemed murky at first, but once she focused them on then the horrors were revealed to her mind. A little girl falling to her blade. Villages set on fire.

The taste of human–

"Are you okay?"said a voice nearby and it took Echo a moment to place the face of the boy in front of her,"I couldn't help, but notice you seemed a bit out of it."

"You're Monty?"said Echo her voice revealing none of the turmoil brewing beneath the surface.

"That's me,"said Monty as he held out his hand for Echo to shake. She tensed up when he grabbed onto her hand, but she realised belatedly that it was simply a different way of greeting.

"My name is Echo. Formerly from Azgeda."

Echo had been in the corner of the room while the children of the sky had entered. Lincoln had explained that Clarke would follow not long after. True to his word, Clarke had come in carrying someone who had been handed off to a girl with large, bushy hair.

The citizens of the Mountain were all in here now and after some orders to a few of the Mountainers and Sky Children from Clarke they had been joined by parents and their children who had been held elsewhere.

The Mountain Men and children were all unsettled by Clarke's appearance. The blood on her armour making for an intimidating figure, but after the girl with the bushy hair had managed to pacify the crowd. Echo had not bothered to listen to what had been said, but the instant calming of the crowd had piqued her interest.

There was now a line of Mountain Men leading up to Clarke who would press her hand to them before moving on to the next. It was an odd sight, but for the most part there was order in the room.

"She's strong isn't she?"said Monty and truth be told Echo had forgotten the boy had been there. He had been so silent and still that she had almost gotten lost in her thoughts again.

"Very,"said Echo and the boy seemed to cheer up slightly at her response as he said,"She's healing the Mountain Men. I'm sure you know this, but they can't leave the Mountain without dying."

Echo nodded to show her understanding. It was one of the myths surrounding the Mountain Men that they were monsters beneath the clothes they wore. Echo had never believed it until she had destroyed the armour of a lone soldier from the Mountain.

The man's face had warped and melted right in the air despite it having been a cool day and the image was still imprinted in her mind.

"What's your plan for after this?"asked Monty and while she could easily remain silent Echo decided it would not hurt to carry on a conversation.

"I used to be a Reaper,"said Echo and she paused for a second to gauge Monty's reaction, but the lack of one made it clear that Lincoln must have already said something about it,"She saved me from that. I owe her for doing that and I shall do what she asks of me."

"Why can't you just go home?"said Monty as the line in front of Clarke dwindled to just a few left. Lincoln and Octavia were speaking with each other in another part of the room and it was interesting to see the two of them get on so well.

Echo paused at the question before she said,"Perhaps if I had been a prisoner only then I could have returned home. I don't need to return to Azgeda to know how I'll be treated. The Reapers have terrorised generations of our people. Simply curing them won't remove the resentment from the hearts of our people."

Clarke had finished up in the meanwhile and she spoke to Miller who was near Raven. They exchanged a few words before Miller began to wheel Raven out the door. Clarke cleared her throat and despite it being rather soft everyone piped down almost immediately.

"We're going to make way for Camp Jaha,"said Clarke her voice firm and calm,"Leave your possessions here for now there'll be people sent to retrieve them. We move now and we move fast. Keep your children near to you and do not stray from the group. My people will all be scattered amongst you so you don't need to worry if we run into trouble. It'll take us at most two and a half hours to get to Camp Jaha if we hurry. The main doors are open and that's what we'll use to get outside. Any questions?"

Clarke waited for a while and once she saw there were none she said,"You guys know the way to the doors. I'll meet you there and then we can begin the walk."

Once it was clear Clarke was done speaking the 100 or so many people in the room began to make their way to the lift. They were all functional except for two and with them being designed to take at least 15 people it would not be long before they made their way for Camp Jaha.

Echo rose to her feet and Monty seemed to step back as she stood at her full height. It was amusing to her even though she did not smile and Monty seemed as though he was about to speak when he was called by a girl with long hair.

"Sorry, Harper and I said we would back together,"said Monty his voice apologetic, but Echo nodded to ease his concerns. He held his hand out and remembering the odd mannerism from before she grabbed onto his hand and shook it.

The boy departed and once he reached the girl with the long hair they started a conversation of their own. The girl glanced at Echo, but she quickly looked away when she found Echo's gaze trained on her. It didn't seem as though they were saying anything malicious and even if they were Echo knew that whatever they were saying could not be worse than what Queen Nia would do to her for getting caught and turned into a could deal with curious glances.

It was far better than getting thrown into an icy lake after all.

The room was almost empty now and so it was extremely easy for Echo to track the movements of Clarke. She had just finished a conversation with Lincoln and some short Sky girl and it was clear that Lincoln and the girl knew each other from somewhere. They had probably met before they had all been captured.

Clarke turned away from the two before she went back to the girl with the bushy hair. There was a bed that had been brought it in while Clarke was healing the Mountain Men and on it was the person Clarke had carried into the room.

The Mountain girl had been looking after the woman on the bed along with a boy who had some strange object around his neck. They exchanged a few words with Clarke as she lifted up the unconscious body of the woman and for the first time Echo was able to get a clear look at the woman's face.

Instantly, she knew that the woman was not from the Mountain. Her skin was pale, but still too healthy in colour to actually belong to someone who had never seen the sun. Her body seemed thin and there were clear signs of torture and battle, but what struck Echo was the face of the woman.

It had a lingering familiarity and Echo was sure she had seen the woman before. She would bet her arm on it.

If only she could figure out just where exactly she knew her from...

* * *

Abby was tired.

And angry and frustrated and scared and so many other things as she ran back and forth checking the vital signs of the now full recovered Reapers.

They had set up a station of sorts complete with stretchers and tents outside the camp with the help of the Grounders. It had not taken too long for the first of the Reapers to go into cardiac arrest and thankfully they were able to save them.

Abby knew thanks to Marcus, who knew because of Clarke, that the Reapers were infected with some drug. They had tried to flush the drug out to no avail, but it was only after she had resuscitated the first Reaper that she realised the evil genius of the drug.

Camp Jaha had a decent amount of medics ,which was thanks to Thelonious and him putting priority staff in the larger stations. However, Abby still had to oversee and in quite a few cases intervene on behalf of the medics as a large amount of the Reapers began to go into cardiac arrest.

It had been long and exhausting work. Things finally slowed down to the point where they were able to induce cardiac arrest. At this stage, Abby had been blissfully unaware of the events at the Mountain so when a severely concussed Bellamy walked into the medic centre she should have seen the bad sign for what it was.

It was only minutes later after she had managed to treat Bellamy whose had been practically incomprehensible that things started to go very wrong.

The few Grounders that were still at Camp Jaha guarding the Reapers had retreated from the vicinity of Camp Jaha. It had caused quite a stir as a few of the Reapers were still under the influence of the drug and if they got loose then the medics and doctors inside the tent would be dead.

The Grounders had all left promptly and set up camp far away from the gates. All of the Arkers that had been with the main army were assigned to the tunnels and they had returned along with the wave of Reapers.

Kane had tried to negotiate with the leader of the remaining Grounders, but in the end it had been futile. He finally came back to Abby and shared the news that was responsible for Abby's mood.

The Grounders had betrayed them.

News had come from the Mountain that the Grounders were to leave once the Reapers were back to full health. Apparently the Mountain had given up the Grounder prisoners in exchange for them retreating.

There was no mention of any of the children from the Ark and Abby knew that they had been betrayed. Abby had been tempted to give the Reapers as they were, but she knew they needed a few more hours of observation.

It would go against her oath as a doctor to risk their lives in some form of revenge for their betrayal. There were two more important reason than that though. Firstly, this had allowed her to keep her mind off Clarke at least for the time being. Kane suggested a search party would go out in the morning because they would be at a severe disadvantage as it was if they had gone in the dark of night.

Abby had agreed albeit very reluctantly, but in the end Kane was still the Chancellor and no matter how much she pushed it would have been futile. Her word did not mean so much to the Guards that they would go against Kane.

In any case, the second reason she kept the Reapers alive was to hold off any attacks from occurring. The Grounders could be tempted to attack once they had the cured Reapers with them. It was something that stemmed from paranoia and distrust, but the Grounders had done nothing to make her feel any other way.

The compromise that Kane had reached was that they would only hand over the Reapers once the Commander got here. They would negotiate the release of the Reapers for whatever they needed because it probably went without saying that their old alliance was dead in the water.

There was a large commotion going on outside the rehabilitation area and Abby took a moment to calm herself before stepping out. She stepped out into the crisp early morning air and the sound of drumming and horns drew her attention to the south-east.

As expected, there was a somewhat large amount of warriors marching towards the gates. They came from the direction of TonDC which if Abby wasn't mistaken was in the almost complete direction of Mount Weather which was to the west of their current position

The Commander was leading the group of warriors and along with a few generals that shadowed behind her. The Guards were all lined up along the walls with their guns at the ready. The Grounders did not seem to take well to this and a lot of them kept their hands by their sides ready to draw their weapons.

Lexa rose her hand and on cue the army stopped it's advance. The Commander did not stop walking, however, and it was quite the sight to see as she approached the camp with all of the guards pointing their guns at her.

The intimidation by the guards was probably futile. Lexa had already shown the ability to control metal. If they were going to fight then Camp Jaha was the absolute worst place to do it.

It was entirely made of metal after all.

"Commander, "said Abby as Lexa reached her position. Kane was also making his way out of the camp and he nodded at Abby and then at Lexa.

"Chancellors,"said Lexa wrongly assuming Kane and Abby were on equal terms. It could have been an attempt to be courteous or perhaps to flatter Abby or perhaps it was a slip of the tongue. Regardless, the atmosphere between the fellow leaders had only gotten more tense.

"What do you want?"said Abby and she ignored Kane's flinch at her harsh tone. Abby knew their backs were against the wall, but she would not pander to the child that had gotten her daughter killed.

Lexa did not seem bothered by Abby's tone as she said,"I apologise for how this had to end. I did what I had to for my people. You would do the same I'm sure."

"Clarke is dead because of you,"said Abby angrily and this accusation seemed to strike a nerve as Lexa's face twisted for a second. The Commander had forgone her warpaint andaa such it was easy for Abby to see that she had gotten under Lexa's skin.

She was about to hammer away at the crack forming, but she was interrupted by Kane who said,"Now's not the time, Abby."

Abby turned to Kane and he met her look before gesturing behind Lexa. Abby lost her nerve as she took in the aggressive stances of the gathered Grounders. They probably could not hear their conversation, but Abby's body language had been hostile enough for them to take offense.

Abby calmed down and Kane took the chance to speak with Lexa,"We'll give you the Reapers back. They're already fully healed, but in exchange for our help in healing them and you abandoning our people then we need reparations. "

"What do you want?"said Lexa almost immediately. Her tone didn't seem to sound angry and it was clear to Kane that Lexa was willing to keep relations as civil as they could be.

"Land, "said Kane calmly as he gestured around them,"If you give us the land within a seven mile radius and the ability to trade with who we wish then we'll consider what's in the past to be done."

"You wish to rejoin the Coalition? "said Lexa and she was not surprised when Kane shook his head.

"No,"said Kane firmly,"I want peace. If you allow trade between our people and give us our own land then we will turn the Reapers over to you."

"What's stopping me from taking them back by force?"

Lexa's tone was probing. She did not sound offended exactly, but she did not sound pleased either. The truth was there was nothing they could do to stop Lexa from giving that order nor could they enforce the terms Kane had set out.

There was silence before Kane decided to speak up. However, he was cut off as his radio crackled to life.

"Sir, we have a large group approaching from the western forest. "

"Is this your doing?"said Kane, but he was surprised and suspicious when Lexa shook her head.

"If I wanted to kill your people I would,"said Lexa her tone annoyed. She made a gesture towards her people and Anya teleported next to the Commander.

"Go investigate the western forests,"said Lexa curtly,"Incoming forces."

Anya nodded and she was about to teleport away when Kane' radio went off again,"Sir, the kids are back."

Abby was on red alert and she grabbed the radio before Kane could respond,"David, what do you mean? The kids are back from the Mountain?"

"I'm sure, "said David his voice filled with joy, "My son's at the head of the pack."

Abby was about to go running off when Lexa spoke,"Anya will take us there. Hold onto her."

Abby hesitated only for a moment before she placed her hand on Anya. Lexa and Kane mirrored the action before suddenly the world lurched. It had only taken a split second before they were on the western side of the camp. Abby stumbled as she landed, but Kane caught her arm before she could fall.

She turned towards the forest that was roughly a hundred feet away. True to David's words, the remnants of the delinquents were leading a pack of people towards the camp. Abby recognised David's son, Miller, almost immediately as he helped a limping Raven walk.

No Clarke.

Abby ignored the tightening feeling in her chest as she continued to scan the were others she recognised like Jasper, Monty and Harper who all seemed tired and utterly exhausted.

No Clarke.

What looked like a pair of Grounders walked out along with the second Blake child. Octavia seemed to be engaged in a rather jovial conversation with the male Grounder while the female Grounder trailed behind them. It was the female Grounder who was the first to notice them.

She looked wary and she shouted a few words that seemed to halt the entirety of the group in their tracks. The majority of the delinquents, along with the strange group of adults and children with pale skin, stopped.

No Clarke.

However, there were still some more people coming out the forest mostly younger children along with their parents. It was only once everyone had gotten out the forest that Abby felt the reality of her situation.

She was mere seconds away from collapsing to the floor when a flash of bright hair drew her attention. Abby's heart filled with a dangerous hope as she looked at the owner of the brightly coloured hair.

Clarke.

Abby almost immediately sagged in relief at the sight of her daughter as she emerged from the forest. Clarke looked dirty. Her hair was a mess and there were blood stains all over her clothes. However, Abby could not care less for any of these things as she took in the sight of her still alive daughter.

Clarke, along with some girl with large, curly hair, was helping a blonde woman that was unsteady on her feet. The Grounder that had noticed them earlier called Clarke's name who at first looked at the woman who then pointed with her towards Abby.

Clarke looked over at the group of four and Abby watched as Clarke's brow furrowed before her face twisted into a snarl as her eyes took in everyone that was standing with Abby.

Clarke guided the woman she was holding into a sitting position before she ripped off the arm guards and shin guards she was wearing. They landed on the ground just behind Clarke. Abby's eyes had unconsciously tracked the movement of the guards which was why she was confused when her surroundings shifted and she found herself surrounded by trees.

Abby was confused before she heard rapid footsteps from somewhere before she felt two arms wrap around her tightly. Her vision was filled with blinde hair and it was only then that Abby relaxed into the hug.

"Mom,"said Clarke and her voice sounded weak and tired as if speaking was a great chore,"You're okay."

* * *

Clarke had almost broken down when she had seen her mother and Kane with Anya and the Commander. She had been so tempted to attack when she had ran towards them, but instead she had grabbed onto her mom before turning heel and running into the forest.

She had left Kane with the delinquents before she continued deeper into the forest with her mother. Clarke had been on the verge of tears and it was only once she was this far away from camp that she would let them out.

She had tried to pull away from her mother, but Abby only hugged her tighter in response. Tears fell from Clarke's eyes as the emotions she had shunted aside slammed into her full force. She had only held it togeso long because she had been busy, but the sight of her mother standing with Lexa had shattered any and all walls she had built.

They stayed like that for a few more seconds before Clarke finally stepped back. Her mother's eyes were filled with happiness, but even then Clarke could see the undercurrent of stress bleeding through.

"I guess we have to have this talk later, "said Clarke as she wiped her eyes. The blood and warpaint had long since dried on her face and Clarke was looking forward to finally being able to scrub her skin clean.

"Our people need you,"said Abby her voice sounding tired and at the same time proud,"You're so strong, Clarke. I can only imagine how tired you must be, but I want you to know that I am so proud of you. I could not have gotten a better daughter."

Abby's words did a lot to soothe Clarke and she was able to regain her bearings a lot quicker. Clarke hugged her mother again before she picked her up and said,"Let me handle the Commander. We need the benefits of the Coalition without actually being a part of it if we're going to survive."

"We already tried that,"said Abby her voice sounding resigned,"She did not take well to it."

"That's because you didn't have something she wants,"said Clarke her voice having a quiet confidence in it.

Abby was about to ask what her daughter meant, but her words were lost to the wind as the trees around them blurred into a formless mass as Clarke sped back towards camp.

Clarke stopped just behind the group of delinquents and she put down her mother next to Costia. She turned to her mom who still looked quite worried and said,"Make sure she's alright. Her body had been infected with a worse version of the Reaper drug. I've already healed her, but you should double check. "

Clarke left without waiting for a confirmation as she made her way back towards Anya and Lexa. Clarke could not help, but smiled wryly as the entirety of the Generals were gathered behind Lexa.

To make matters worse, Octavia, Lincoln and Echo had taken it upon themselves to go forward to Kane's position. There already seemed to be tempers rising as Indra and Anya glared at Lincoln while Ontari was staring at Echo with a chilling gaze.

Apparently Octavia had taken exception to something one of Indra or Anya had said as she raised her hand into a firing position. Clarke ran to intercept Octavia's attack and she was just able to grab onto the girl's arm before aiming it directly upwards.

A powerful shockwave emanated from her hand and rippled the air as Octavia struggled for a little bit before relaxing once she saw it was Clarke who had redirected her attack.

Octavia still looked mad and she was about to say something when Clarke shook her head. Octavia calmed down immediately if not a bit grumpily before retreating a few steps back to the others.

Clarke turned and she wasn't surprised to see all the Generals standing with their weapons at the ready. It made for an intimidating sight, but Clarke looked straight past all of them as she instead met the green eyes of Lexa.

Clarke felt a large part of her urge her to attack Lexa and beat her into the ground for her treachery, but Clarke knew she would first have to get through the generals and this time it wouldn't be a series of one one fights.

Clarke clamped down on that part of her and instead she forced her face to be stone cold as Lexa greeted her.

"Clarke."

"Commander."

Lexa's eyes flashed with something at Clarke's formal and icy tone that was at odds with Lexa's more neutral tone.

Silence reigned for a few more seconds before it was broken by Ontari who said,"Did you retreat from the Mountain? It seems 'Skaifaya ' is not so strong without Heda's army behind her."

Ontari's voice and tone had a way of getting under Clarke's skin. The Azgeda general was insufferable and had absolutely no redeeming traits whatsoever. It was funny in a strange sort of way that Clarke hated the only two people she knew that also had black blood.

Maybe that blood just made it's owners extremely annoying to be around.

"I did not retreat from the Mountain like a coward, "said Clarke finally as she emphasised the last word. The insult was not lost on anyone and the air only seemed to thicken with the increased hostilities.

"The Mountain Men are dead,"said Clarke and it was a statement that drew her the ire of Indra who stepped forward a weapon of light already forming in her hands. In response, Clarke raised her hand towards the woman and red energy began to form on her palm.

"Indra,"said Lexa with a hint of warning and the woman paused in her attack. Indra eventually stood down and dissipated the weapons she had formed. Clarke kept her arm trained on Indra even though Lexa had given her the order to stand down.

It was only after a few more tense seconds that Clarke lowered her arm and dissipated the energy that had been building on her hand.

"Do you have any proof of this?"said Trent his voice sounding not accusatory, but merely curious.

"I'm standing here with my people,"said Clarke as she looked at Lexa instead of Trent despite him having asked the question,"The same people you had allowed to rot by siding with your mortal enemy. If you want proof then you can tell Anya to teleport into the cages where she was kept. As you know, her powers didn't work when she was a prisoner. If she can teleport in there now..."

The statement was left incomplete, but there was no misunderstanding from anyone. Anya looked at Clarke who didn't humour with any sign of ackno8before she turned to Lexa who nodded immediately. Anya's face twisted in concentration for a few seconds before she disappeared in a could of black smoke.

There was a few seconds of silence before Anya reappeared. She seemed tired from the effort of a long distance teleportation, but there was no mistaking her grave nod towards Lexa.

The generals seemed stunned by these turn of events and they exchange rapid fire words in Trigedasleng to each other. Clarke spared a glance behind her and she net the eyes of Kane who seemed just as surprised by the turn of events.

Clarke turned back and she was filled with a sort of vindication as she took in Lexa's surprised face. It was almost the most emotion she had ever seen on Lexa's face except for that night in the tent–

Clarke cleared her mind of that night and instead said,"The Mountain Men are dead with no thanks to you. We had a deal and that deal was broken by you. If my people are going to live in peace then we need a new deal."

"What do you suggest?"said Lexa having regained a sense of calmness once again.

"My mother told me she and Kane ha come up with something,"said Clarke and Lexa nodded as she said,"They asked for seven miles of land from Camp Jaha and free trading with any of the clans."

Trikru, according to maps Clarke had seen in TonDC, apparently had hundreds of miles of land and this was essentially a drop in the ocean for them. The land was arable enough and with trade then Skaikru would be able to live comfortably.

Clarke nodded to show her understanding before she said,"Then that's what we agree on along with one addition. Skaikru will not be a part of the Coalition. We will be separate and you will not interfere in our affairs. "

Lexa was silent before she said,"That is a steep condition."

Clarke nodded as she said,"I killed the Mountain Men without any of your help. Your people suffered for generations at their hands and I stopped that again on my own. I could ask for more, but that would not be the smartest move. Instead I will trade you for Skaikru's autonomy. I have something that I'm sure you'd find valuable. "

Some bitterness had leaked into Clarke's tone and it was clear that Lexa had picked up on it. Clarke waited for Lexa's answer and she wasn't surprised when the Commander said,"What are you talking about?"

Clarke turned her back and she ran straight back towards the delinquents. She came to a stop in front of Maya and Costia who had somehow managed to fall asleep. Maya seemed surprised by her appearance as she said,"Costia fell asleep after you left her. Your mom is performing check ups on the others now...Is something the matter? Why did Echo tell us to stay here? Do we have to move somewhere else?"

Clarke shook her head to dispel Maya's worries and said,"No, I just need to sort something out with the person that betrayed us. You guys will be fine. There's enough space for all of you and I would never send you guys alone into the woods."

Maya calmed down considerably and she swept Clarke in a hug that she was wholly unprepared for. Clarke returned the hug for a few seconds before she felt a gaze on her. She turned her head to the side and she was surprised to see Anya, the generals all staring at her along with Lexa whose face seemed to be set in a frown.

Clarke pulled away from the hug before she said,"Hey Maya could you wake her up? I need Costia for something. "

Maya seemed confused, but she obliged Clarke and a few seconds of shaking and whispers later Costia's eyes opened. The woman rose to a sitting position and her hair obscured much of her face as she said, "Clarke? What's going on?"

"It's time for you to go home,"said Clarke as she helped Costia up to stand.

"Home?"said Costia in confusion before understanding seemed to dawn,"You're taking me to Polis?"

"In a way,"said Clarke before she picked up a confused Costia and dashed back towards her previous position.

Dust was kicked up as she slowed to a stop behind Echo and the others. Everyone seemed confused including Echo who stared at Costia in confusion before a few words escaped her mouth.

Clarke ignored that and instead came to a stop once again in front of the generals. They all seemed confused by the blonde woman whose face was buried into Clarke's chest.

Clarke helped Costia get down and the woman didn't seem to realise where she was as she grabbed her head her eyes closed as she said lowly,"Are we in Polis already? "

Clarke ignored Costia whose face was still obscured by her hair and instead looked at Lexa. The Commander seemed to understand that the woman Clarke had brought was supposed to be traded, but Clarke could tell Lexa could not tell just who it was.

It was only after a few more words from Costia slipped out, this time in Trigedasleng, that Lexa's face twisted in horror. At the same time, Costia had fully regained her bearings and she pulled her hair behind her head before realising who stood in front of her.

"Lexa?"said Costia cautiously her voice barely holding a tremor back,"Is that you?"

Lexa seemed distressed and angered and confusion as she took in the sight of her supposedly dead girlfriend. She was still for an alarmingly long time before a growl escaped her mouth. Lexa's sword was withdrawn smoothly from her hip before she swung at Costia.

"Impostor!"shouted Lexa and it was an anger Clarke had never seen anyone exhibit much less the usually stoic Lexa.

Clarke acted quickly and she was able to step in between Lexa's strike and form a shield of green light. Lexa's sword stopped barely a hair's length away from Clarke's shield and the transparency of her shield made it easy for Clarke to see Lexa's eyes flutter between her and Costia in confusion.

"Generals,"said Lexa and her voice held a slight shakiness,"Prepare the Reapers for transport. The deal with Skaikru has been accepted."

The generals didn't seem to be in the mood for questioning Lexa while she was in such a state and they all left even as they snuck glances towards Lexa's back. It was soon only Anya left on Lexa's side and she too seemed frozen in shock as she looked at Costia who was gripping onto Clarke in sheer fright.

"What kind of joke is this?"said Lexa softly her voice shaking,"Do you think I'd fall for a trick like this?"

Clarke pushed back against Lexa and knocked her sword away. Lexa didn't even look to retaliate as her sword flew from her grip and clattered to the ground. Costia was still holding onto Clarke, but Clarke grabbed onto her hands before removing them slowly.

"This is not a trick,"said Clarke as she stepped around Costia leaving nothing between her and Lexa,"Costia was trapped in the Mountain all this time. Nia didn't kill her. The Mountain Men tortured her and starved her and drugged her for years. She was the reason powers didn't work in the Mountain. If it hadn't been for me you would have left her in there to rot until the Mountain Men threw her aside when she fulfilled her purpose."

Lexa was still as Clarke's words cut into her. Costia was slowly advancing on Lexa who was still until the woman swept her into a hug. Lexa's eyes were wide open as Costia hugged her and she looked at Clarke who was already turned halfway in the opposite direction. A single tear was trailing down Clarke's face.

"You're welcome,"said Clarke before she turned and walked away. Lexa watched as Clarke retreated and even as Costia began to speak to her in earnest.

She kept her eyes trained on Clarke for a few more seconds before she was shaken from her daze by Costia whose face seemed to be somewhat annoyed.

"What's wrong? "said Costia before her eyes followed where Lexa had been looking. Costia eyed Clarke as she began to speak to her people before she said,"She saved me. "

"If it wasn't for her then I would have never been freed from the Mountain, "said Costia as she misread Lexa's facial expression.

Lexa could only nod as Anya came closer to them.

"I know."

* * *

Clarke's boots echoed through the hallway as she made way for her destination. The delinquents and refugees from the Mountain had all been settled in for a few hours now. The Reapers had been taken without much fuss and Abby had reassured Clarke that they would be fine.

The delinquents had all been put processed by her mother and none of them really needed to stay in Medical except for Raven and Bellamy. Bellamy was still recovering from his concussion(which had been worse than Clarke had initially thought) and Jackson had told her that Abby was keeping him under observation just for the time being.

Abby was busy checking up on him now according to Jackson and since Octavia was most likely going to spend quite some time with Bellamy she had decided to go check up on Raven and to finally reveal the truth about Finn to Raven.

She came to a stop outside the door to Raven's room and she hesitated for a while until she heard Raven's slightly muffled voice emanate from behind the door.

"I know you're there, Clarke,"said Raven and her tone was unusually bland and devoid of the fire it usually held.

Clarke opened the door and she was rather surprised to see Raven's eyes glowing a sharp yellow as she stared at her. The colour quickly faded and Clarke took a seat on a chair that was next to the bed.

From this close, it was easy to see that Raven was not at her best. The dried tears underneath her eyes, the crescent marks on her palms from clenching her fists and most notably the way she seemed to be relying almost entirely on the pillows she had to prop herself up.

It was a mixture of physical and mental exhaustion that plagued Raven and Clarke felt no small amount of guilt for being responsible for a part of it. Raven was probably the closest to Clarke of all the delinquents.

Clarke had been the one to comfort her after Finn's cheating had been exposed and Raven had done the same both after Roma's death and in the Mountain when the delinquents had pulled away from her.

It was why Clarke could not find it in herself to say the words that would bury their relationship. Clarke had killed Finn. She had barely thought of the effect it would have had on Raven. She had captured the love of Raven's life and then executed him all for an alliance that had failed in the end.

Raven's demeanour did not seem to change after Clarke's appearance and even as the silence dragged on she was silent as she stared at the wall opposite her. In contrast, Clarke was feeling more and more uncomfortable as time went on. It reached a point where Clarke decided to come clean, but before she could get a word out she was cut off by Raven.

"I know you killed Finn,"said Raven and her voice was cold as she spoke,"Abby told me all about it. I guess she assumed you had already told me since I was still a wreck when I got here."

Clarke's words died on her tongue and she looked at Raven whose face was a mix of supreme anger and deep sadness. Fresh tears trailed down the mechanic's face even as Raven's jaw seemed to lock up.

"Raven,"said Clarke slowly only for words to fail her. Clarke truly did not know what to say that would fix things, but one look at Raven told her that what she said was impossible.

"Apparently you stabbed him in the back after he tried to kill the Commander, "said Raven and this time her voice held more of an edge to it,"That is so ironic. "

"I'm sorry for what I did Raven,"said Clarke as she put her hand on Raven's only for the other girl to pull away from her touch.

Clarke tried not to let that get her down as she said,"He tried to kill Lexa to avenge Fox's death. They were going to massacre everyone inside this camp if we didn't turn him over. I did what I had to."

Raven did not seem swayed by Clarke's words and this time the anger in her voice was palpable as she said,"He was my only family, Clarke. He gave me food when my mother starved me to get more alcohol. He took the fall for me when I got caught on the spacewalk. I don't care what he did, Clarke."

The gravity in Raven's tone weighed heavily on Clarke, but she remained silent as Raven continued to speak,"I could never not love him. Even though things changed between us once we landed I never stopped loving him. I don't care that he didn't love me the same way or that he tried to kill the Commander for some girl he met down here..."

"I loved him,"said Raven her voice gaining a tremor and she glared at Clarke through her tears as she said,"And you killed him."

The accusation cut right through Clarke and again she found herself at a loss for words. The look of anger and sadness in Raven's eyes only seemed to bring up memories of all the wrongdoings she had committed since landing on the ground.

Clarke was seconds away from collapsing into tears when the door burst open and Octavia walked in as she said,"Raven? Are you awake yet or– am I interrupting something?"

Raven shook her head and said,"No, Clarke was just leaving. "

Clarke rose at Raven's dismissal and she ignored the bewilderment on Octavia's face as she made for the door. It was only as she reached the door that Raven offered any parting words.

"Clarke,"said Raven her voice having regained more strength, " I don't think I can handle–"

Raven's voice trailed off, but the message was clear as day for Clarke. She nodded stiffly and she gave a noncommittal smile to an even more confused Octavia before she walked out the door.

* * *

The sun was steadily rising out from the horizon. Camp Jaha was silent and there was no real activity except for the occasional patrol by guards. Monty had drawn the short straw when it came to shifts and much like all of the other delinquents with powers he had been assigned guard duties along with whatever else they specialised in.

It had been a grueling day yesterday as they had been roped into expanding the accommodation to make sure there was enough room for the refugees from Mount Weather. The reception of the refugees had been largely positive although whether that was due to the influx of young kids( a rarity on the Ark) or the welcoming nature of the Arkers Monty could not say.

He and Clarke had been assigned to expanding the farm and they had worked on it until Clarke was needed elsewhere. Clarke's ability to weather rock into soil and his own ability to grow any sort of plants from nothing made for a difficult day for the both of them.

Monty had seen the conflict on Clarke's face and she was far more quiet than usual when they were working. He assumed it had something to do with Finn. Monty had heard rumours among the delinquents about a falling out between Raven and Clarke.

Apparently Clarke had hand delivered Finn to the Commander before executing the boy at her command. It was a story that was way out there and yet the fact that Clarke avoided conversation like the plague and that Raven and her hadn't even been seen in the same room since the Mountain made it hard to refute.

Monty had had the chance to ask Clarke(and he had been pressed by Miller and Jasper) but it was proven unnecessary when Bellamy confirmed it for everyone. Monty was sure Clarke was aware of the whispers going on behind her back and it was easy to tell that the place was taking a toll on her.

It was not that there were malicious in any way, but there was a definite distance between Clarke and the delinquents most notably those that did not know her well. The same awkwardness was seen amongst the Arkers who Monty had realised must have been present for Finn's execution.

The only thing Monty could liken it to was the deference Jaha had been shown on the Ark. People behaved as of a simple misstep would end with them in an air lock within a matter of minutes. It was ridiculous, then and now, to think that way, but fear had a funny way of affecting people's behaviour.

It was fear that had caused the council to float an entire sector of people in their sleep –something an increasing amount of people were complaining about. It was fear that had caused Bellamy to shoot Jaha and later smash up Raven's radio when she landed.

Hell it was probably due to fear of annihilation by other countries that the old American government had greenlit the Darwin nanobots experiments. The project was a failsafe for a war that had been so vicious and swift no government had survived it.

The vast majority of citizens would have been unaware of the experimentation that had been done to them. The war would have been enough stress to activate powers and that coupled with the disarray of the war it was no wonder the world had taken a turn to a system geared towards conflict and fighting.

It was all they knew after all.

Suddenly, Monty's watch beeped and almost immediately the boy sagged in relief. His shift was finally over. His replacement was already walking up to him and after a quick nod Monty went past the man before making his way back towards the hulking form of the Ark which acted as the nucleus of the camp.

He reached the door and just as he stepped into Alpha he bumped into someone that was walking out. They collided with each other, but neither of them fell to the floor. It had not been a particularly rough collision, but even then Monty would have expected someone to fall simply due to his own strength being that much higher now.

It was only once he looked at who he had bumped into that he realised why they hadn't fallen to the ground.

"Clarke?"said Monty in surprise and he was sure his face mirrored Clarke's rattled expression.

"Monty? Sorry about that, "said Clarke as she stumbled over her words. She was about to add more, but Monty's were drawn to her shoulders which had straps on them.

A cursory glance over her shoulder cemented his suspicions and he voiced them immediately as Clarke apologised again and then tried to duck around him and get outside.

"You're leaving,"said Monty his words ringing with a certainty that stopped Clarke in her tracks,"You haven't told anyone, have you?"

"No,"said Clarke and her voice sounded both embarrassed and drained,"I had my invisibility cloak, but bumping into you made me lose focus. I left a letter in my room. I figured–"

"Is this because of Raven and what happened with Finn?"said Monty as he interrupted Clarke's impromptu apology," Don't leave camp because of that. It's not safe out there. None of us would want you to get hurt out there."

"It's not just about that,"said Clarke as she raised her hands to push her hair back,"I've done some terrible stuff, Monty. I committed genocide to rescue you guys. Whether or not they had it coming isn't the point. I just need some space to deal with everything. The longer I stay here, the more I remember what happened. I just need some time to work through everything."

"I know what you went through was tough,"said Monty after a few seconds of silence,"No one should have had to do any of what you have done, Clarke. That doesn't mean you should leave. We're all here to help you. Octavia, Jasper, Bellamy, Abby, Maya and I'm sure Raven will come around. You don't need to do this alone, Clarke. We're here for you."

"I know,"said Clarke her voice just barely above a whisper,"I know that I can count on you guys, but this is something I need to work on myself. I need to be able to forgive myself and I don't think I can do that with living reminders of what I have done."

The statement seemed harsh, but Monty knew that Clarke didn't mean to offend him or anyone. He really did want Clarke to stay. She was one of The 100 and she had looked out for their best interests from day one even when she had been scorned by them. The past couple of months had been trying on all of them, but it had probably worse for Clarke. If Clarke opened up to them then they would be able to help, but deep down Monty knew that was not going to happen.

Raven had been the one to comfort Clarke when she had been at her lowest which was in the dropship after Roma's death and then once again in the Mountain. It was fair to say that Raven was closest to Clarke amongst the deliquents by a sizeable distance. Monty also knew that Clarke had done the same for Raven after the whole Finn and Fox thing came out. Raven might take a while to forgive Clarke and having a daily reminder of how their friendship had soured would not be good for either of them. The camp was not enormous and there were bound to run into each other. They were both extremely strong too and if they ever got into a fight then it would likely be extremely difficult to bring them down.

"You're right,"said Monty as he looked back at Clarke,"If you need time and space for yourself then you should take it. We all have our demons and if you think thi will help you then I won't stand in your way."

Monty reached into his coat and he pulled out a cloth pouch before taking is radio and setting it to a different channel. He handed them to Clarke who immediately pocketed the radio. She held up the pouch in confusion before opening it. Inside were roughly 40 cherries that were a perfect shade of red. Clarke was about to speak, but Monty beat her to the punch.

"Those will help you sleep,"said Monty and his voice sounded just a bit drained,"I don't know if you still have the same problem as at the dropship, but just take them anyways. Me and a few of the other delinquents needed some, but I'll grow more of them later today. The radio is only for emergencies. I won't tell anyone about it."

Monty gestured with his head out the door and said,"You should leave soon. Most people are going to get up pretty soon. You should probably use your cloak and cover your tracks. I doubt your mom or Kane would just let you roam the wilderness."

Clarke put the pouch in her pocket before she hugged Monty. The boy reciprocated the motion and then he stepped back after a few seconds. Monty watched as Clarke stepped outside. Thankfully, there was not anyone around and Monty watched amazed as two large wings emerged from Clarke's back. She smiled at him and it a smile made up of regret, sadness, but perhaps what shone through the most was the gratitude Clarke seemed to be exuding.

"Thank you, Monty,"said Clarke, but all of a sudden there was a shout from behind them. Monty turned and he was surprised to see Abby running towards them with a paper in her hands.

"Clarke!"shouted Abby as she drew closer and said something into her radio. Monty turned back to Clarke. She seemed rattled by her mother's appearance and within a second she was soaring up into the air before disappearing underneath her invisibility cloak.

Abby had slowed to a stop right where Clarke had been standing and she let out a cry of deep frustration and sadness as she let the paper in her hand tumble to the ground. Monty walked closer to the despondent form of Abby who was unnervingly still and silent. The paper had landed face up and he realised it must have been the letter Clarke was talking about. To his surprise, there were only two words written on the whole thing.

I'm sorry.

A couple of guards arrived to the front of Alpha Station,but they were already too late.

Clarke was long gone.

* * *

It had not been a happy accident that Clarke had decided to go towards the east from Camp Jaha.

Clarke had ruled out going towards the west or the north. The former was in the direction of the Mountain and the latter was where Azgeda was located. Clarke only really had the personalities of Echo and Ontari to go off for how the people of Azgeda were like and while Echo was perfectly fine Ontari was decidedly less so. Lexa had mentioned the brutality of the Ice Queen and Clarke had only heeded that warning if only because of the fear Echo had shown when speaking of the Ice Queen.

That had left a decision between the south ,which was the direction of Polis, or the east that Clarke knew practically nothing about.

All in all, not a very hard decision to make.

She had flown up in the skies at a pace that allowed her to take in the sights around her. The trees expanded far and wide and it was a nice change of pace. She hadn't really had the time to bask in her surroundings in a long while. She had descended from the sky a while ago. The effort required to both fly and remain invisible was annoying after a while. She could probably change her wings to those of larger birds and just ride the air currents, but that was probably something she could put off for the time being.

Clarke had been away from Camp Jaha for well over six hours. Four of those had been spent on the ground and she had occasionally been forced to change course when she detected the presence of other people. It was still rather ridiculous to Clarke that everyone on the Ark had assumed the world had been wiped out. Of course on the Ark they had no way of piercing the radiation that essentially blocked signals to from the ground. It made sense that some people would have made it into bunkers.

Clarke was drawn from her musings as she heard the faint sound of someone screaming in terror. Clarke stopped dead in her tracks and she waited for a bit longer. She had transformed her ears to be sensitive enough to make sure she was not going crazy. This was the right thing to do as the scream emanated from behind her somewhere. It sounded shrill and desperate and Clarke wanted to rush in blindly despite her previous attempts to evade detection.

In the end, Clarke paused for a few seconds before sprinting towards the source of the noise. She reached a clearing and she was greeted by the sight of a man and a woman holding a girl up off the ground by the was another man who stood in front of the girl and he was holding a rag that he shoved into the young girls mouth. The girl was still struggling and despite her wiry frame she seemed to be putting up a good fight. This ended when the ringleader pricked her with a dart. The fight left her body and her captors seemed to have a much easier time dealing with her.

Clarke had seen enough.

She formed two miniature crossbows and she took aim at the two holding the girl up. She pulled the trigger and a second later two arrows were embedded in the throats of the girl's harassers. The ringleader looked around wildly in shock before his eyes landed on Clarke. He raised his hand towards her and from it came a large blast of energy. Clarke dashed out of the way and she grimaced as the projectile slammed into the ground and exploded violently.

A full row of trees had been taken out by the blast ad Clarke knew that it had likely drawn the attention of everyone within at least a three kilometre radius. The forests around here had fewer trees than those around Camp Jaha and so sound had no issue travelling through the trees. The man had raised his hand to shoot at her again and Clarke acted on instinct.

A bolt of lightning was fired from her fingers before it struck him square in the chest. The man halted in his actions and his body convulsed rapidly before collapsing. Clarke allowed the stream of lightning to die down before she finally approached the girl who seemed too shocked to move. The drug didn't seem to have had too strong of an effect on the girl thankfully and Clarke raised her hands to calm any nerves the girl may have had.

"Are you alright?"asked Clarke taking care to keep her voice even,"Do you stay in a village around here?"

The girl was silent and it made Clarke feel uncomfortable until it hit her. Only warriors spoke English. It just worked out that the vast majority of Grounders she had met were all warriors. Clarke racked her brain for the scraps of Trigedasleng she knew.

"Ai laik Klark kom Skaikru,"said Clarke her voice clunky and awkward as she stumbled over her words. The girl seemed to perk up at her words and for the first time she gazed directly at Clarke. The intensity in her stare unnerved Clarke even as she vaguely recognised the girl or someone that looked similar at the very least.

"Chon yu bilaik?"said Clarke as she tested the waters and there was silence for a few seconds before the girl's voice broke it.

"I am Madi,"said the girl in perfect English,"You are the one from the Mountain. You set me and the others free."

If the revelation that the girl spoke perfect English was not enough then the fact that she was in the Mountain was enough to shake Clarke. It was only now that the girl in front of her had been captured by the reapers she had cured.

"What are you doing here? You should be at home with your family,"said Clarke before adding"Why did you act like you can't understand me?"

Madi was silent before she spoke her voice low,"I got separated from the others. It was too dark. I walked for long trying to find them now, but I don't know where I am. I did not trust you, but that was because I did not know who you were. These three said they help me, but after I cut myself on stone they attacked me."

Clarke realised that Madi didn't mention her family and she realised that Madi was probably an orphan. The soft and understated manner she seemed to compose herself with was at odds with what a seven or eight year old should act like.

"Why would they attack you?"said Clarke and Madi in response put her thumb in her mouth before biting down.

Clarke was confused until Madi pulled out her thumb. Thick black blood oozed from her finger and as Clarke stared at Madi's thumb she could already feel a headache forming.

* * *

Madi was actually a decent travelling partner. She had said her home was in Louwoda Kilron or Shallow Valley. The girl had been evasive about her quality of life there and it was clear there were some things she had been uncomfortable with sharing. It turned out that no one had taught Madi English _or_ Trigedasleng. It was just something she just got for as long as she could remember. Her English was far from perfect, but it was rather great for a kid so young.

The sun had set a while ago and now they were sat around a campfire that overlooked the ocean. They had eaten some rabbit and fish a while ago and Madi had taken to throwing leaves into the fire. The first time she had done this it had erupted into bright green flames. It drew attention, but Clarke had reluctantly allowed Madi to continue throwing them in. As it turned out only a few of the leaves would turn the fire green and Madi was shuttling to the forest and back after running out of leaves. Madi had just gone to get some more and as she disappeared from sight Clarke was forced to spin and catch a punch from behind her.

*!*

She did so, but with more difficulty than she had anticipated. Clarke traced the fist to it's owner and she was greeted by the fierce gaze of a woman that was both older and taller than her. She looked angry and Clarke hoped Madi stayed hidden for her own safety.

"How do you know about the signal?"said the woman her voice controlled and cool,"Only two people not from this clan know about it and you are quite clearly neither of them."

Clarke was sure this 'signal' was the fire , but instead of answering she placed her hand to the woman's abdomen before firing a psionic blast. The woman was sent flying into a tree. The woman rose and her face contained a touch of anger. Her nose seemed broken, but it seemed to snap into place all of a sudden. The woman wiped the blood from her nose before lifting her hand. It was a gesture that almost always signified danger and Clarke was right about it again.

Clarke had had ample time to raise a psionic dome, but she was surprised to see an identical blast of energy headed for her. The blue projectile went straight through the red dome before slamming into Clarke and crushing her against the wall of her own dome. She made the dome dissipate, but almost immediately she was kicked in the stomach.

*!*

Clarke's arms grabbed onto the leg of her attacker before using it as a handle to slam the woman into the ground right beside the fire. Clarke kept the woman pinned before she punched her in the face. There was a sharp crack as the woman's nose broke, but this time it did not heal instantly. Clarke was about to burn the woman's face when she heard Madi's voice grunting in exertion.

Clarke turned to the woods and she was horrified to see Madi being restrained by a man she could not identify. Clarke turned back to her own hostage, but she was greeted by the woman headbutting her. Clarke's nose snapped immediately and the woman was able to slip free from under Clarke. She did not press her advantage weirdly enough, but instead gestured for the man to bring Madi closer.

"I do not wish to harm you or this girl, but when I sensed you were here I had to investigate,"said the woman, but Clarke was not paying attention as she took in the broken and bloody nose of her opponent,"How did you find out about the signal?"

"Luna,"said the man suddenly as he turned to the man,"Yu jus bilaik em jus."

Clarke watched as the woman, Luna, reached for her nose instinctively before her eyes scanned Clarke's face landing in the blood trailing down her nose. Clarke expected a violent response, but she was surprised when the man let go of Madi after a signal from Luna. Madi almost immediately ran behind Clarke who was about to attack, but she stopped as Luna held up her hands placatingly.

"I see you are another of the blood,"said Luna as she held her hand out to Clarke with the now clearly visible nightblood dripping from her nose. She wiped it away with her other hand and Clarke walked forward before shaking the other woman's hand.

"My name is Clarke Griffin,"said Clarke before adding,"From Skaikru."

Luna seemed especially interested as she said,"So you're the one...It matters not. My name is Luna kom Floukru. I am the leader of the Boat People and I'm sorry for this."

Clarke was not sure what Luna meant, but all of a sudden her body seized up as she was electrocuted and the last thing she heard was Madi screaming.

* * *

**Author notes:**

**Hope you guys enjoyed that. Costia is reunited with Lexa. Raven finds out about Finn. Clarke saves Madi and finally Luna knocks Clarke out.**

**Don't hate on Raven. Her closest friend just killed someone she loved. I love Clarke all the way, but yeah there was no other way that was gonna go down.**

**Please review I love hearing from you guys and have a blessed festive season.**

**P.S. I might be publishing another story soon so if I'm busy with another story please don't feel neglected.**


	18. Haunting

**You guys are still alive, right?**

**Right?**

* * *

"Wake up."

Clarke opened her eyes and she was surprised by who stood over her.

"Indra?" said Clarke as she slowly rose to her feet. She had been lying on the ground and her body ached with pain, "What are you–"

"Enough," said Indra and the older woman snapped her fingers. A green chain of light formed around Clarke's wrists and despite her best efforts, she could not break free.

"Let me go," said Clarke her lips twisted into a snarl, "I just want to be left alone. Why won't you let me be alone?"

"I do as Heda commands me," said Indra before jerking the chain forward. Clarke stumbled, but she kept her balance as she was guided through a myriad of hallways.

It was quiet. The hallways were dark and cool. Only the occasional lantern illuminated the passages, the sun having gone down long ago.

All too soon, they stood before a grand door. There were two guards posted at either side and Clarke could just barely hear the hum of conversation behind the door.

"Tell Heda I have her prize," said Indra to one of the guards and he sneered at Clarke before going inside. Clarke had been trying to break free of the chains but to no avail. None of her powers was available to her and for the first time in months, Clarke felt something that made her insides curl up and her muscles seize.

Fear.

Both of the doors were thrown open and Clarke was pulled forward by Indra. The room was full of people who stood on the sides, but there was something else that drew her attention as she was guided down a walkway.

Chairs.

There were six on either way of the walkway and Clarke despaired as she took in the sight of the Coalition's generals watching her. Their eyes were cold and dispassionate except for Ontari who seemed delighted.

Finally, they came to the end of the walkway and Clarke let out a groan as Indra forced her to kneel. The Trikru leader remained next to Clarke until a familiar voice gave Indra an order in Trigedasleng.

"Leave her,"

Anger and frustration boiled up as Clarke heard Lexa's voice. She tore her gaze away from the floor and instead looked up at Lexa. The Commander was seated in her throne and she had her warpaint on.

"People of the Coalition," said Lexa as she addressed the room, "Before you stands Clarke Griffin. Skaifaya. Wanheda. Destroyer of the Mountain."

Clarke could feel her anger grow as Lexa ticked off each of her titles. The crowd were hostile to her and jeers and expletives were thrown at Clarke until Lexa called for silence.

Clarke looked behind Lexa and she met the gaze of Anya and Costia whose faces were stony and set into something of a frown. Lexa seemed to notice her gaze and she held her hand out.

Costia was the one who obeyed Lexa's unspoken command. She unstrapped a dagger from her waist before placing it in the Commander's hand. Lexa took the dagger, but her hand lingered on Costia's.

Lexa pressed a kiss into Costia's hand which drew a smile from the latter. Clarke did her best to not show any emotion at the sight. However, Lexa's smug expression and the laughs from the crowd told Clarke that her efforts were in vain.

"You are strong, Clarke," said Lexa as she rose from her throne, "At least in body. However, you are weak where it matters most..."

"The mind."

Clarke felt her anger rise as Lexa stalked up to her. Indra's chains were still binding her wrists together, but she could feel a white-hot fire fill her veins. Lexa did not seem intimidated as she stopped in front of Clarke.

"You were too blind to see I used you to beat the Mountain," said Lexa her tone filled with something akin to pity, "You were too weak to strike me down and instead you sought for something unobtainable by someone like you, my heart."

_"Clarke."_

"I am not weak," said Lexa as she raised her dagger. The light from the torches in the room bounced off the smooth surface of the knife as it was raised above Lexa's head.

_"Clarke."_

Lexa's free hand came to rest on Clarke's chin and she pushed it up gently as she said her next words.

"Your fight is over, Clarke."

Lexa struck out with the knife and Clarke shut her eyes closed as an increasingly loud voice shouted her name from somewhere.

_"Clarke!"_

* * *

Clarke woke up with a start and the second she felt a hand on her shoulder she flipped the owner onto the bed as she reversed their positions. Clarke kept the intruder pinned beneath her and she was about to form a knife to stab them with when she saw who was beneath her.

"Oh my God," said Clarke as she climbed off the bed and helped the 'intruder' to their feet, "Luna, I didn't know it was you. Are you okay? Did I hurt you?"

Luna did not seem angry instead her face looked concerned as she said, "You had another nightmare. Look at the room."

Clarke followed Luna's suggestion and she sighed as she took in the sight of overturned furniture and clothes. It looked as though a hurricane had thrown the contents of the room around.

"Wait," said Clarke as she scanned the room frantically, "Where's–"

"Madi is sleeping with Adria tonight," said Luna as she rose to a sitting position on the bed, "This is the first one in months, Clarke. I've felt your turmoil for over a week now. What is bothering you?"

Clarke felt like lying. She wanted to tell Luna everything was fine and that they could just go back to bed. However, she knew any lie would be picked up by the older woman immediately.

"Do you still not trust me?" said Luna her tone only a little serious, "You and Madi have lived here for nine months now. I would have thought that by now–"

"It's not that," said Clarke smiling even though she didn't feel like it considering the circumstances, "You know I trust you, Luna. I trust you with my life. I trust you with _Madi's_ life."

Another person would have thought that odd or callous of Clarke to say. However, Clarke knew Luna would understand the gravity of that statement. Clarke was not even nineteen yet, but she knew that she loved Madi more than anything.

Luna knew that too and she seemed to relax as she said, "Is it because of your...affliction?"

"It's not that. I'm fine now," said Clarke as she sat down next to Luna, "I got another message on the radio yesterday."

That sobered Luna up quickly, "The device your people gave you? Are they still trying to make contact with you?"

"No," said Clarke before shaking her head, "Apparently, people are looking for me."

"Who?"

"Everyone," said Clarke before sighing, "Trading has been good and there have been no fights at all except with some exiles. Until recently at least. "

"Your people are getting attacked?" questioned Luna, "Who is it?"

"They don't know," said Clarke, "A patrol of guards got attacked the other day. They were found dead in Mount Weather land."

"Why there?"

"I don't know," said Clarke, "The only hint they had was a drawing of me found near their bodies. It had a knife through it."

"Someone wants you dead," said Luna calmly as if there were not people gunning for Clarke's head, "It is to be expected. You are one of the strongest in the lands. The mighty Wanheda, feller of the Mountain."

News had spread of Clarke's legend like wildfire. The first time she had gone on a supply run in Sankru land she had been forced to flee so people would not associate her with Floukru.

Luckily, she had been alone looking for new boots when she had been found. The others from Floukru had not been linked with her and she was able to make her escape.

It had been only a few weeks, maybe three, after she had left Arkadia. The town was one of the bigger cities in Sankru, and it was surreal as she was recognised by person after person until she realised someone was following her.

She had left the town in the direction of the Azgeda-Trikru border before turning invisible and flying back to the rig. That had spooked Clarke so much she had not gone on a supply run since.

"It'll blow over," said Clarke as she laid down, but her words rang hollow even to herself, "Skaikru have been fine without me and they will continue to be fine."

Luna laid back down onto the bed and Clarke could feel the older woman's warm breath on the back of her neck. Clarke could feel the heat radiating from Luna who let out a sigh at Clarke's words.

"Take it from me, Clarke," Luna's voice was as gloomy as the void of space, "You cannot outrun your problems. They always catch up. Even here, you feel safe, but that will not last."

"There always has and always will be something that will try to disrupt your life, Clarke. I killed my brother for a position I never wanted. I wanted to just stay away from the world, but I came home instead and became the leader. Remember true peace–"

"True peace is given to those willing to fight for it," interrupted Clarke drawing a sigh from Luna, "I want to go on the next supply run. Madi has been begging to go for months now."

"We only need a few herbs for medicine last I checked," said Luna, "I don't think our other villages have the herbs we need either. You would be going into Trikru land for this."

"We'll be fine," said Clarke as she faked a yawn, "You've been training me and Madi for months and I could already beat you before all of that. We'll be fine."

Luna laid an arm over Clarke which caused the younger woman to turn around. Luna raised the hand that was around Clarke's waist to her head. Clarke stared into Luna's eyes as the moonlight illuminated the room.

"Fine," said Luna, "I need to go on a tour of Floukru villages once you return. Derrick was not happy I sent him the last time around."

"But," said Luna halting any words from Clarke, "Only if you can beat me in a fight tomorrow. We have not fought in a while."

Clarke was about to protest when Luna shook her head, "That's final. Now, sleep. I'll be right here."

Luna's fingers began to glow with a white light and within seconds, Clarke was pulled deep into sleep as she felt Luna move closer to her. She wouldn't wake up until the next morning.

* * *

"Why do you have to fight Luna for us to go?" said Madi as she watched Clarke go through a couple of stretches. They were on the beach used to signal the ship and where Clarke had met Luna for the first time.

Clarke had expected to be dragged back kicking and screaming to Polis, but instead, she had woken up in a bed with Madi watching over her. That had been nine months ago and it felt like it had gone past quickly.

"Because Luna is too cautious, " said Clarke as she finished her stretches, "We just need to get a few herbs and plants from Aryl. It's not too far from here. Don't worry I'll make this quick."

Madi giggled at that and Clarke turned as she heard the sound of sticks breaking. Luna had gone off to into the woods and she returned with a deer that she was now dragging behind her.

"What's all this?" said Clarke as she looked at the deer. Luna dropped her prize to the ground and she also put down the small crossbow she had in her other hand.

"This," said Luna while motioning to the carcass, "Is going to be prepared for everyone on the rig. You guys are going to miss out, unfortunately. Do you still want to go, Madi? Deer is your favourite..."

"Don't try to manipulate her," said Clarke as she preempted any response from the girl, "I'll catch a deer for Madi when we come back. In fact, I'll let her catch it herself."

"Really?" said Madi as she smiled up at Clarke, "I've been begging you to go on a hunt for so long! Does it have to be a deer or can it be anything I want?"

"We'll discuss that later," said Clarke as she moved towards a large section of flat ground, "I just need to take care of something quickly."

Luna caught Clarke's hint and she seemed eager to begin as she stood opposite Clarke. Luna raised a hand towards as she said the stipulations of the spar.

"First one to get brought to the ground three times, okay?"

"Perfect," said Clarke before staring at Luna's offered hand, "I'm not touching that. If you want some, come get some."

Luna drew out her sword and in response, Clarke made one out of light. They began to circle each other for a few seconds before finally, Luna charged. Clarke blocked the swing before pushing back against Luna.

Normally, she would be able to overpower Luna immediately if she used her full strength, but one of the more valuable things Luna had taught her was to fight without her powers.

Luna kept swinging her sword towards Clarke, but she was able to stay ahead of the sword and she blocked the swings that came too close for comfort.

In a fit of impatience, Clarke decided to do something that would take Luna by surprise. She waited for Luna to lash out with her sword before acting. Clarke dispelled her sword and caught Luna's blade with her bare hand. Blood dripped from her hand as the sword cut into her palm and Luna stood still for just one second.

That was all she needed.

Clarke let go of the sword before dropping to her feet and sweeping Luna's legs out from under her. Luna fell onto her back and Clarke was on top of her holding a dagger to her throat.

"One point to me," said Clarke before she rose to her feet. Luna did not seem particularly impressed, but Madi clapping in the background showed she enjoyed the bout.

"You are too rash, Clarke," said Luna as she flicked the blood off of her blade, "What if my sword had been poisoned? You would be dead in minutes if not seconds."

"Why would you poison your sword for a spar?" countered Clarke which drew a reluctant smile from Luna, "I've got an idea. The next point counts as double. Winner takes all."

To sweeten the deal, Clarke held her hand out and Luna looked at it with scepticism before finally shaking Clarke's hand. A second later, a roaring flame began to form in the palm of Luna's hands and without delay, she shot a blast of fire at Clarke.

They were standing on a sandy beach and so Clarke could not raise a wall to protect. Instead, she formed a psionic dome and the fire washed over the dark blue of the dome keeping her perfectly safe.

"So you got fire from me," said Clarke once the wave of flames died down, "What else did you get?"

*!*

Clarke flipped backwards as Instinct activated and she watched as a bolt of lightning slammed into her previous position. The sand was boiled as the bolt ran across its surface before dying down.

"Lightning is number two," said Clarke as she looked at Luna, "I can work with that."

Clarke sped towards Luna and lashed out with a kick. Luna, as expected, was able to react on time and she ducked underneath Clarke's kick. Clarke slipped from missing her balance and she let out a groan as she felt Luna tap her hand.

Clarke let out a blast of wind and she turned around to see Luna sailing in the air. Clarke was worried for a bit until wings spread from behind Luna and she was able to correct her flight. Luna's power was terribly annoying she had the ability to copy two random powers of anyone she touched temporarily.

Clarke was well aware of the irony of her thoughts.

Or at least it was random if she did not know what powers they had. It was why when they had fought in this beach all those months ago it looked like Luna had all the powers Clarke had.

Luna had more powers aside from her mimicry, but they were a bit of a mixed bag aside from the physical boost of being a nightblood. Mimicry, Sleep inducement, power sensory and finally–

Clarke was pulled from her thoughts as a surge of water was pulled from the ocean. They had moved even further away from Madi and Clarke spared a look behind her to see that Madi was okay before turning back to the wave.

Clarke raised her hands and wrestled for control of the wave from Luna. Clarke's muscles strained as she pushed until finally, she gained control of the wave. She was about to send it towards Luna, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Clarke looked all around her. Up. Left. Right. Down. Her paranoia overtook her for a second as she looked back over her shoulder, but still nothing.

It was only when Clarke turned her gaze on the static mass of water that she realised Luna had been hiding right in front of her. Luna seemed to realise the jig was up and she shot out of the water with a glowing trident in her hand.

Clarke let go of her control of the water and ducked underneath Luna's lunge. Luna continued to used to the trident to stab Clarke and she was forced to evade the thrusts and slashes.

Water began to pool around Clarke's ankles, but luckily her feet were kept dry thanks to her boots. Luna seemed to gro frustrated that Clarke was staying one step ahead of her and she changed her trident into a pair of daggers.

Now that Clarke was able to get closer to Luna, she switched onto the offensive. She stomped down onto the ground and tendrils of muddy water wrapped around Luna. Clarke was able to walk closer to the other woman and she stopped right in front of Luna.

Clarke raised a finger and electricity began to sparkle across it. She looked towards Luna who looked defiant until she sighed heavily.

"You win," said Luna her voice sounding just a little annoyed. Before she could respond, though, Clarke was surprised as a sudden cheer came from right beside them. Madi was standing next to them and Clarke sighed as she saw that the hem of Madi's pants were in the dirty water.

It seemed like Clarke and Madi would have to wait for a bit longer before heading for Trikru.

* * *

Monty was laying on his bed as he enjoyed a rare moment of solitude. Harper was out with the evening hunting parties, as was the norm. Her power to control animals made things easy for the hunters, but it resulted in them having no time to spend together.

Monty had been 'promoted' from guard duty and farm duty to working in engineering as well. The only incentive he had been given was to be moved into a room of his own instead of living in the dorms and in no time at all Harper had moved her stuff inside as well.

Not that he had a problem with that.

Although it was monotonous working in engineering it had quite literally saved his life. There had been an unexpected failure with the radios as well as the power around the camp. Monty had been pulled from his squad and they had been sent off without him.

That was the last time they had been seen alive.

The rover was found abandoned west of Arkadia, but it was completely empty. It was only once Echo, Bellamy and Lincoln had been deployed that they were able to track where the bodies were taken to.

Bellamy had relayed to Monty the scene. The guards that had been deployed had no powers of their own and had been easy pickings. They had all been strung up on the outside of Mount Weather's front entrance.

To make matter worse, Bellamy had shown him a sketch of Clarke that had been pinned to a tree with a knife. The knife had been planted right in between her eyes and it was a clear message as anything.

Monty had been able to keep the secret of Clarke's radio until now. He had tried at various times to convince her to return, but the lack of response made it clear Clarke wanted to be alone.

Monty did not even bother assuming that Clarke was dead or captured. There was no way someone would or could capture Clarke. The most likely clans to try something like that would also publicise and they had heard nothing of the sort from the traders that came to Arkadia.

"Monty, come in."

Bellamy's voice came in over his radio and Monty picked it up from his desk, "What's up?"

"Come to Hall 619," said Bellamy's and he sounded more serious than ever, "Bring Octavia and Lincoln too. They're training right now."

"Roger that," said Monty, "What about the others? Should I call them?"

"I have that covered," said Bellamy, "Echo, Miller, Monroe and Jasper are going to be sent to check on the Mountain with a couple of guards."

"Is that what this is about?" said Monty as he tensed up at the mention of the Mountain.

"We'll talk more in person."

Bellamy did not provide any more words than that and Monty put on his boots and took his radio before leaving his room. There was some traffic around the Ark and it only got more crowded as he stepped out into the evening air

.

Bright, fluorescent lights were used to light up the camp even though the sky was still a muted grey. The days were getting shorter as winter approached. According to Lincoln, the seasons were not as they remembered.

Some years winter could last months on end and others were more regular having three months split evenly. Apparently, it had been far worse in the older days, but things were said to be normalising again if their data was to be believed.

Monty finally made to where Octavia and Lincoln were sparring. There were a couple of other people doing the same, but theirs was the most engaging by a long way.

Octavia seemed to have grown tired of the fight and she punched Lincoln hard in the stomach. Octavia's arm was encased in crystal and Lincoln hunched over as her fist slammed into his stomach.

Octavia kneed Lincoln in the face before climbing on top of him. Her hand shifted into a blade and she held it up to Lincoln's neck. Their conversation was too soft for Monty to pick up anything, but he rolled his eyes when he saw Octavia lean down and kiss Lincoln.

It was as if they had forgotten where they were and so Monty decided to save his friends some face. He ran onto the training field and called out to the two of them.

"Guys," said Monty and he had to repeat himself before the two separated, "You do know where you are right?"

Octavia spared a look at the people around them and all of them had stopped to watch Octavia and Lincoln. They looked away, though, once Octavia glared at them which drew a chuckle from Lincoln and a sigh from Monty.

"We need to get to Hall 619," said Monty as he helped the two of them to their feet, "Your brother called a meeting. He sounded pretty grumpy."

"He's been that way since he broke up with Gina," Octavia pointed out, but she followed Monty anyways, "So I'm guessing this is about the guards he found at Mount Weather. "

"Yeah," said Monty, "Echo, Jasper, Miller and Monroe and some guards are getting sent to investigate. Kane and Abby are spooked about this."

"That's a lot of firepower, " said Octavia and Monty could only hum in response, "There has to be something they're not telling us."

It was definitely within the realms of possibilities. Of all the delinquents, only Bellamy and Raven held high positions in the camp with both of them being the deputies of the Guard and Engineering respectively.

"Kane and Abby don't tell anyone much of anything at all, " said Monty, "I don't think it's about them, though."

"Who then?" Octavia asked, but a second later she answered her own question, "You think this is about Clarke? She left us, Monty. We've been just fine without her."

Octavia had, at first, been saddened by Clarke's unexpected departure. They all knew by now that Clarke had killed Finn after he had gone on a murder spree. Raven had not reacted well when Clarke broke the news to her and that had been the last day Clarke had been at camp.

The delinquents all reacted in different ways. Jasper, Miller, Harper and Monroe carried on, as usual, deciding to not act one way or the other. Monty was similar in that he did not really change one way or the other.

The most affected by Clarke's departure had been Bellamy, Octavia and Raven. Bellamy and Octavia were similar in that they had dedicated themselves to getting stronger, but they both held a distaste for Clarke.

Not for what she did for Finn, but for just leaving them and high and dry. It was frustrating to watch how the siblings' relationship with Clarke seemed to oscillate between hot and cold.

Any attempts to try and convince them to let go of their anger was ineffective at best. They channelled their anger into getting stronger and it had worked as Monty was sure only Echo and Raven could comfortably beat them when one on one.

Bellamy was the one most willing to reason and Monty was sure he had let go of his anger by now. Octavia and Raven, though, were another case entirely.

Raven had not changed in any way or that was what she tried to show. She would do her physio, practice her powers and help out in engineering. In fact, Raven did her best to act as if Clarke did not exist.

The few times Clarke's name was brought up around Raven often caused the mechanic to either leave the room or just close off from the world sometimes for days at a time. It soon became apparent to everyone that Clarke's name was anathema to Raven.

They finally reached Hall 619 and inside were the four going on the trip to the Mountain and Bellamy. Monty, Lincoln and Octavia took a seat on the chairs. Bellamy was the only one standing up and he was about to begin when Raven walked in.

"You made it," said Bellamy before pointing to a seat, "Sit down. This won't take too long."

"Is this about the guards at Mount Weather?" said Octavia and Bellamy nodded before giving a pointed look towards Monty.

Bellamy had not told anyone except Monty about the sketch of Clarke he had found. Lincoln and Echo one about the sketch and Clarke did as well if she had listened to his message.

Bellamy reached into his pocket and Monty was not surprised to see him take out a dagger and cloth. Everyone else not in the know seemed confused until the paper was unfurled that they seemed to understand.

"Why are you showing us a drawing of Clarke?" said Jasper as he stared at the picture, "It's pretty damn good. The nose is a bit big though..."

Jasper's joke fell flat and the boy didn't seem terribly bothered by it on the outside, but Monty knew he was just a little hurt on the inside. Bellamy's serious demeanour had done a lot to stave off any levity from the room.

"Lincoln, Echo and I found this drawing at the Mountain with the dead guards," said Bellamy before picking up the dagger, "This was found in between Clarke's eyes. This is clearly a message."

"So someone wants to kill Clarke?" said Octavia drawing a nod from Bellamy, "Why should we care? She left us and now we're supposed to scramble to help her. No ways. She can take care of this herself."

"I'm not happy with Clarke either, O," said Bellamy before turning course, "But she is the one that got you all out of the Mountain and you saw what she had to do back there."

Octavia seemed to sag at Bellamy's words. A few of them had volunteered to help clean up the Mountain and get as many supplies as possible from the Mountain. It had taken careful negotiations with Trikru, but in the end, they had been allowed to go ahead.

Once they were in there, they had seen the carnage Clarke had brought upon the Mountain. Hundreds of corpses had to be brought to the incinerator and the smell of burning flesh had been imprinted on the minds of everyone who had been there.

"That is not the only problem you have," said Echo as she stood up and walked over to Bellamy, "Whether you like it or not, Clarke is seen as Skaikru. The clans willing to kill her think the same which is why they will try to goad her out of hiding."

"That's why they were killed," said Octavia a bit shamefaced, "To draw Clarke out from wherever she is. She could be dead for all we know!"

"She's not dead," said Raven causing the room to plunge into silence. Everyone seemed to be on edge as they remembered Raven was in the room. In a deviation from the norm, Raven did not seem bothered by their current conversation.

"Raven is right," said Echo once it became clear Raven was not going to add anything, "If Clarke were killed or captured then one of two things would have happened. One, Skaikru would have been coerced into being absorbed by a clan."

"What's the other?"

Echo turned to Monty and said one word that made his insides curl up.

"War."

"I thought the Coalition was strong," said Octavia, "Why would anyone want war?"

"The Coalition was shaky at best," said Echo and she seemed to hesitate before continuing to speak, "In Azgeda, Queen Nia would keep trying to push Lexa. However, she had no weaknesses and was the strongest warrior in all the clans."

"Was?"

"She's talking about Clarke," said Bellamy, "You guys were not there for her gauntlet. I was in the crowd with Kane. They were going crazy for Clarke. She beat the heads of every clan's military. And then she beat the Mountain Men on her own."

"Why would they only act now?" said Miller, "It's been like nine months since she left."

"We don't know," said Bellamy, "We don't even know who 'they' are."

"So what are we meant to do now?" said Octavia, "We just wait for the next attack?"

"No," said Bellamy, "Once the ones going to the Mountain come back then we're going to look for Clarke."

"She could be anywhere," said Monroe drawing nods from the others, "We don't have enough time."

"There's only one place she would have gone to," said Lincoln silencing everyone else.

"The Boat People," said Echo drawing a nod from Lincoln.

"The who?" said Jasper mirroring the confusion of everyone else.

"Floukru," said Lincoln, "It's where I was going before I got caught by the Maunon. They are the smallest clan and they don't believe in fighting. Trikru has always had a good relationship with them. They're located east from here."

"Their leader is also very strong," said Echo, "She's a nightblood from the Commander's Conclave. No one tries anything with Floukru because that would mean crossing Trikru."

"It sounds like you two already had an idea of where Clarke went," said Bellamy drawing nods from both of the Grounders," Why didn't you guys say anything?"

Echo was the one to answer, "Clarke turned me and Lincoln back into normal humans. Reapers usually die, but she was the one who cured us. We swore loyalty to Clarke and we would not do anything to betray that promise."

"She wanted to get away from here," said Lincoln, "Peace of mind is something rarely available in our world. Clarke deserved to be alone. If she is with Luna then she will be fine."

"Would this Luna tell us if Clarke was there?" asked Miller drawing a shake of the head from Lincoln, "So what are we meant to do?"

Monty had been silent for the majority of the meeting, but he knew he had to speak up. If more people got hurt then it would be selfish of him to say anything.

"I know how to speak to Clarke."

Everyone in the room looked at him and their surprise was as clear as day. Their eyes were boring into Monty in a wordless command for him to elaborate.

"I bumped into her when she was trying to leave," said Monty glancing at Raven who seemed calm, "I gave her a radio and told her to keep it on the same channel so I could reach her."

"Has she ever responded?" asked Bellamy drawing a shake of the head from Monty, "She could have destroyed it for all we know."

"She didn't," said Monty as he pulled out his radio, "Trust me, guys."

* * *

"Clarke," said Madi as she walked next to the woman, "Your hair smells nice. You should keep it that colour."

Clarke smiled as she heard the innocent request from Madi. They had been in Trikru territory for over a day now and Clarke had been forced to figure out a disguise for herself. The best she was able to do was use red berries to dye her hair.

According to Luna, it would last so long as Clarke did not get her hair wet, but even then streaks of red would remain for weeks after. In truth, Clarke was not a fan of her hair being an almost bloody red, but Madi made things a bit easier.

"I'll think about it," said Clarke smiling before it was immediately wiped away as she heard the distant sound of voices, "Don't look anyone in the eye, okay Madi? If there's any trouble then you run. The rig is east from here and if you get lost just signal me."

The change Madi went from outgoing to reserved happened in an instant and Clarke bit the inside of her lip at the sight of Madi's stony face. It had taken a while to get Madi to come out her shell more and despite Clarke's best efforts, Madi was only outgoing when she was around Clarke, Luna and Adria.

It showed that the girl still battled with ghosts of her own and it tore Clarke up that she could not make them disappear. Madi was strong, though, Clarke and Luna had made sure of that. That didn't mean Clarke didn't prefer for Madi to not have to use her powers, but that was wishful thinking.

They were able to get into the nearby village without much of a fuss and they were able to locate an inn that had a bar attached. Another thing that was decidedly unexpected about the Grounders was that they had their own system of currency.

All clans had their own set except for Floukru who made use of Trikru's currency. The Coalition stipulated that all currency was permissible everywhere and that had made the Commander popular with some of the weaker clans.

Clarke paid at the front desk and she tried to be as curt as possible to the woman that ran the inn who had insisted on getting them settled.

Niylah moved here after her father died and she had sold her trading post's entire stock before buying this place from some elder who, in Niylah's words, had not been long for this world.

It was rather quaint and not terribly big, but Niylah seemed happy enough with what she had managed to procure. It was nice to know that people could still aspire to have a business like this despite the state of the ground.

"Could I get you something to drink?" said Niylah as she stood in the doorway. Madi had practically thrown herself on the bed and was probably half asleep.

"I can't," said Clarke as she gestured towards Madi, "I have to look after her."

"Is she your sister?"

"No, but she's family to me," said Clarke.

"I see," said Niylah, "How long are you in town for?"

"We leave tomorrow, " said Clarke, "We don't like to stay in one place. It's not a life we want to live."

"A life like that must be difficult," said Niylah as she stepped closer to Clarke, "Do you ever get lonely?"

"We have each other," said Clarke she tried to stay calm even as Niylah stepped closer to her, "That's all she needs for now."

"Is that all you need?"

Clarke did not answer Niylah's question and the other woman stepped closer to Clarke before pulling her into a kiss. Clarke was frozen still as she felt Niylah's hands on the back of her head. A small part of her wanted to give in, but Clarke squashed that as she pushed Niylah away softly.

"I'm sorry, I–"

"It's fine," said Clarke as she tried to dispel the awkward air, "Don't worry about it. "

Niylah seemed rather upset by the turn of events before she shook her head. Clarke wondered why Niylah stayed behind until she said words that made Clarke pause.

"You did not apply those berries properly, Wanheda,"

A dagger of green light formed in Clarke's hand and she was about to attack when Niylah raised her hands.

"I knew who you were from the moment you stepped in," said Niylah and from this close Clarke could see Niylah's eyes were an unnatural green. They faded back to a normal shade and Clarke let her knife dispel.

"What do you want?" said Clarke as she made sure to stand in between Niylah and Madi.

"Nothing," said Niylah the awkwardness from their kiss lingered, but both women put it out their minds, "You defeated the Mountain Men. My parents were killed by them. I owe you more than you know."

Clarke was still a bit wary of Niylah and she tensed up as Niylah reached into her pocket, but Clarke relaxed once she saw it was simply a scarf.

"Tie that around your mouth when you go out," said Niylah, "Your face is well known. It would serve you well if you wish to avoid any problems.

"I'll apply the berries to your hair in the morning," said Niylah, "The shade you've chosen is too dark to be natural and will wash away within hours in the sun."

With that Niylah was gone and Clarke could finally breathe easy. Madi had thankfully not been woken up and as Clarke settled down next to Madi she was left alone with her thoughts.

Clarke let her hand run through Madi's hair. Madi moved closer to Clarke in her sleep and despite the stressful situation she had just gone through Clarke could not help, but smile if only for a little bit.

Niylah had caught Clarke off guard twice. A part of Clarke wished Niylah had just wanted to fight her and nothing else because that kiss brought up things Clarke did not want to think about.

Deep down, more than anything, Clarke just wanted peace, but that seemed so far out of reach. Clarke owed Luna more than the other woman could know. If she had been alone for these past few months, Clarke had no idea what she would have done or who she would have become.

The fight never ends. That was the reality of Clarke's life and for the life of her, Clarke wished she could just give in to what her heart wanted, but even then it felt like she was being pulled in multiple directions.

How could she follow her heart when she wasn't even sure what it was telling her? It was better and safer and smarter to think with her head. Logic was cold and unfeeling and that was what Clarke needed to be. For Madi. For Luna. For Skaikru.

Clarke took out her radio and she very nearly caved and called Monty, but instead, she turned the radio off. She wouldn't make a decision one way or the other just yet. There was wisdom in caution.

* * *

Monty sat alone in engineering as he tapped away at his computer. His attempt to contact Clarke last night had gone abysmally. It had done nothing, but wasted time and Monty had to sit with egg on his face as Bellamy explained the plan to go to Floukru once everyone returned.

The only ones who were not going were Monroe and Harper because both of them were key parts of the hunting groups and they were important to keep the food stores at a suitable level. It was an open invitation and no one had to come if they did not want to.

After all, it was quite a serious violation of their agreement with the Commander if they went traipsing into the territory of another clan and this was before they went past several miles of Trikru territory.

Monty was simply doing a routine systems checkup when he heard the door open. Raven walked in and she sat beside him as she watched him type lines and lines of code at a rapid pace.

"You should offer lessons or something on coding," said Raven as she peered at the computer screen, "You're one of like five people that know how to code. I can guarantee you will have at least one student."

"I'll think about it. I'm way too busy as it is," said Monty a bit distracted by he typed a few more lines before he leaned back in his chair and turned to Raven, "Was there a reason you came in here?"

"Why didn't you tell anyone about Clarke's radio?" said Raven, "You must have seen how worried Abby was for weeks that Clarke was in danger. If it weren't for Kane who knows how she would have ended up. I saw her breakdown almost every day I went for physio."

"Look, Raven," said Monty with an edge to his voice, "Clarke asked me to never say anything and I promised her that I wouldn't unless it was important. I'm sure Clarke knew what leaving would do to Abby, but she still did anyway and no small part was due to that fight you guys had."

Raven leaned back as if she was struck, but Minty cut off any words from her, "I'm not blaming you for being mad at Clarke. You knew Finn for most of your life and obviously, you'd be angry at her. Anyone would. You're only human."

Raven looked down and cradled her head in her hands as Monty continued, "The thing is, though, is that people forget Clarke is just human too. We're all she has and she left all that behind. She wanted some time away and I know if the roles were reversed she'd do the same for any of us. It killed me to see Abby in the state she was. I didn't even tell Harper that I could contact Clarke."

"Clarke coming back before she was ready would have only hurt you, her, Abby and Bellamy and Octavia."

Monty breathed heavily as he let out what felt like a mountain on his soul. Even though his attempt to contact Clarke had failed miserably it still felt good to not have to keep the secret anymore.

"I guess so," said Raven as she stared at the radio on the desk, "There's still no response?"

"No," said Monty before he heard the klaxon that marked the opening of the gate, "Is that the squad going to search around the Mountain?"

"Yeah," said Raven as she rose to her feet, "I'll be seeing you around."

Monty waved Raven goodbye and once again focused on checking the system of the Ark. You could never be too careful after all.

* * *

"You said this will come off in water?" Clarke said to Niylah as she looked at her hair. It was now a more natural shade of red and while it was still vivid it was nowhere near as eye-catching as before.

Madi stood next Clarke and she did not need a disguise since she was just a little kid. Clarke picked up the scarf she was given and she tied it around her mouth.

"Wearing a scarf like that is common amongst Sankru people," said Niylah, "You will be fine if you make haste. The more people they are when you're awake, the more likely you'll get caught."

Clarke and Madi soon bade farewell to the innkeeper and began their search around town for what they needed. The plants were going to be used for preserving food and also for medicinal purposes.

Clarke did not know much about botany, but it was interesting to note that the Grounders had renamed certain plants. It made sense, after all, there was no remnant of the old world standing and this was just a result of that.

It took them a while to find the first of the herbs on the list. It was used to make teas that would alleviate the flu. The vendor was quite stubborn about the price which had been way too high and eventually Clarke had brought her down to a suitable price.

This was how the rest of their day went. Clarke and Madi walked all over the town going from vendor to vendor and trying to negotiate fair prices. It was probably the middle of the afternoon when they finished up.

Clarke had been vigilant about whether she was being followed for the first hour, but nothing had happened at all. She and Madi were practically invisible to the residents of the town. They were finally done and Clarke was sure she could make it back to the rig within two hours of running and flying.

They were now walking down a dirt path as they took the exit out of the town. They walked for ten minutes and soon were back into the woods. The forest was alive with life before it almost abruptly became silent.

Clarke stopped in her tracks and Madi followed suit. Clarke put a hand on Madi's shoulder and she bent forward to whisper in the girl's ear.

"We might have trouble. I'll cause a distraction and you run. Use your powers and do not get caught, Madi."

Madi's expression was a mix of serious and fearful that made Clarke wish that nothing would happen. Clarke knew that either their pursuers knew who she was or they were bandits trying their luck.

Clarke could not afford for her pursuers to find their way to the rig. It would not bode well for anyone if she were found in Floukru territory and it was essentially inviting danger to their doorstep.

Clarke continued to walk with Madi and as the forest remained eerily silent she kept scanning for any sign of a body. A tense two minutes later, they had still not been attacked. Perhaps they were spooked by the chance that Clarke was onto them.

Just when Clarke thought they were going to be left alone, however, a twig snapped from somewhere. Clarke paused and she just looked at Madi. The girl understood the command and her body turned invisible before there was a blast of air as she took off.

Madi could only fly at full speed for about ten minutes, but that went down when she used her cloak as well. That meant Clarke would have to finish this one quickly.

Clarke shrugged off the bag of herbs she was holding and she let it drop to the floor. Niylah's scarf was still around her mouth and so her voice was just a little muffled when Clarke called out to the trees.

"I'm giving you five seconds to leave. If you're still here by then, you'll regret it."

Five.

Clarke began to build up psionic energy.

Four.

Dark blue energy began to rise from Clarke's body.

Three.

The sounds of arrows being drawn back drew Clarke's attention.

Two.

The hum of a sword being drawn filled the clearing.

One.

Clarke's eyes began to emanate dark blue energy.

Zero.

At once, a flurry of arrows was fired from the treetops. Clarke let out a pulse of psionic energy and the arrows were sent flying off course. Someone was running towards her from the ground and Clarke saw the gleam of a sword.

She raised her hand and fired a blast at her assailant. The person was cloaked in a brown hood but was sent flying away through a tree. The hood fell to reveal a woman with no clan markings and her facial orifices oozed blood. Her skull was misshapen and Clarke knew she was dead.

She felt nothing.

Four people also in hoods dropped down to the floor. They surrounded Clarke and one of them raised his hand as he said, "Wanheda, we wish you no harm."

Clarke pointed a hand at the man and was about to shoot him down when he continued to speak, "We know it's you, but that's not why we are here."

The jig was up and Clarke removed her scarf, "How did you find me and what do you want off?"

"Your power is immense," said the man, "I could sense you from a long way away. To answer your second question, we want you to join our side."

"Your side?"

"Yes," said the man confidently, "The side of those who have been wronged by the Commander. She is weak. She has forced clans to break their traditions. Weaker clans are fed on the sweat of the larger ones. Is that fair? Is it our fault that our ancestors fought to survive and won?"

Clarke remained silent as she regarded the group of four. None of them was in any threatening stances, but Clarke kept her arm up pointed at the leader.

"And she continues to impose her will on us even though she abandoned the attack on the Mountain. She abandoned you and left you to the Maunon. You destroyed the Mountain down to their last spawn. Skaikru cured the Ripas. Yet, Lexa remains in power. "

The other people were nodding along with the man as he said, "A worthy Commander would never have abandoned you. War is brewing, Wanheda. We ask you now do you wish for your people to live in peace under a fair and trustworthy ruler or do you wish to stay in your metal husks with your safety only guaranteed by the fickle will of the Commander."

Clarke's feats were proven correct. The Coalition was splintered. Multiple clans had no faith in Lexa and were actively making moves to overthrow her. No doubt a lot of clans had received similar offers like this one. She was seen as the leader of Skaikru and so here they were.

How many clans had accepted this offer?

"I refuse your offer," said Clarke and she watched as the hooded warriors took a step forward, "Skaikru is not a part of the Coalition. Your quarrels are your own. Do not make this our problem."

That sealed the matter and as she was attacked from behind Clarke spun before shooting bolts of electricity at her attacker. Her would-be assassin was stopped in his or her tracks before Clarke dispelled the stream and watched as cardiac arrest took over the assassin's body.

*!*

Clarke spun around and avoided the thrust of a spear. Another one of the assassins tried to run her through with his sword, but Clarke was able to avoid that as well. She stomped down on the ground and spikes punched through the body of the spear holder.

Clarke enveloped the other assassin in psionic energy before immediately crushing their body. A scream was cut off immediately and Clarke turned to the leader only to grimace when she saw there was no one.

*!*

Clarke jumped into the air, but her feet were caught by the leader who had leapt out of her shadow. He slammed Clarke into the ground and her vision blurred as he loomed over her.

"You chose wrong."

Clarke felt tendrils wrap around her limb and despite her best efforts, she could not escape. She spared a glance to her limbs and she saw what looked like solid shadow wrapped around her. The man's face was covered with a mask of some animal and this was what Clarke was staring at as he wrapped his hands around her neck.

Clarke was about to activate her fire cloak when a gleaming green arrow punched through the stomach of the man. The tendrils disappeared from Clarke's limbs and she was able to reverse their positions immediately. She was about to snap his neck when he sunk into the shadows.

"You'll regret this, Sky Princess."

He was gone.

Clarke rose to her feet and she tracked the source of the arrow to–

"Madi?" said Clarke as she ran to the girl and pulled her into a hug, "I thought I told you to run."

"You're family," said Madi and that was all that needed to be said.

"Let's go home."

Clarke flew high in the sky as fast as she could. She reached the rig in less than an hour of hard flying which she had achieved by making her wings flap as fast as she could with her superspeed. Madi looked about ready to faint when they landed and Clarke pressed a glowing hand to the girl's temple.

Madi recovered almost immediately and moments after the girl stood up straight, did Luna come up to the deck. Luna seemed concerned as she took in the red blood on Clarke's shirt and the hard look in Clarke's eyes.

"We have a problem."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Did any of them have any identifying accents or weapons?" said Luna as she sat opposite Clarke in her room.

Madi was already asleep on the bed night having fallen not too long ago. Luna and Clarke were going over every possible detail from the attack. They had been at it for hours now.

"No," said Clarke, "Generic spears, swords and arrows. They could be anyone in the Coalition except–"

"Except for us," said Luna drawing a nod from Clarke, "I am sure Nia is involved, but without any proof, it would be useless. I need to go on that tour now more than ever. My warriors need to know that our peace will not last much longer."

"I also need to go back to Arkadia," said Clarke a frown marring her face, "They won't stop at attacking me and I need to be there to protect my people."

"I know," said Luna as she smiled Clarke causing the other woman to glance away, "You would not be if you did something else."

"I am leaving soon. Time is of the essence," said Luna and in truth, Clarke was not surprised, "By the time we see each other again, we could be at war."

They both rose from the bed and Luna pulled Clarke into a tight hug which was returned just as fiercely. No words were exchanged, but there was no need for either of them to say anything. They already knew what the other would say.

Finally, they stepped back and Clarke blinked away the haze her mind had fallen into. Luna's hair glowed brightly from the candlelight and it gave her an almost ethereal appearance.

"May we meet again," said Luna as she stepped away and Clarke smiled ruefully at Luna as she left the room.

"May we meet again."

Luna was out the door a moment later and Clarke was left alone with Madi and her thoughts. Clarke dropped back down to the bed before rising almost immediately as something hard poked into her.

She turned and saw it was her radio which she had turned off. She turned it on immediately and she was surprised as the voice of Monty came over the radio.

"I'm telling you guys," said Monty, "She'll pick up. Trust me. Clarke, come in."

Clarke let out a sigh when she heard the voice of Bellamy come over the radio. They had to let go of the button for her to speak. What could have happened for them to forget something so simple?

"Guys, we don't have time for this. We've got to move. They're in trouble. Raven if you're with him, take that away from Monty. I'm waiting at the gate. We'll use this channel to communicate. Over."

No sound was broadcast and Clarke took the opportunity to speak. However, she was too late and the radio crackled as she heard a voice she hadn't heard in months.

"Sorry, Bellamy, but this is important," said Raven, "I don't know if you can hear me, Clarke, but this is important. Miller, Jasper, Monroe and Echo are gone. They got sent to the Mountain to help investigate, but they're gone. The other guards were all knocked out or killed, but they're gone."

Clarke gasped at this news. No wonder everyone sounded so frantic. This was an emergency. It was no coincidence she got attacked on the same day as this.

"I know we have our differences, Clarke," continued Raven causing Clarke to close her eyes, "But those guys need you. I-We need you."

Raven's voice was cut off and this time Clarke didn't hesitate. She pressed down on the radio and spoke clearly into its microphone.

"I'm on my way."

* * *

**Author notes:**

**Don't look at me like that, guys. I know. Seriously.**

**This is way overdue. Like wow, this took me way longer to get out than I expected. The last update was last decade. I'll be surprised if any one of you is still alive.**

**Jokes aside, sorry for the delay. I've been focusing on other projects, but don't think I've abandoned this. I've put too much on this already.**

**I wanted to do a transitional chapter, but that would have been pointless. So I slapped a nine-month time skip to get the ball rolling. I like this version a lot better. It only took me about a week to write this one.**

**So, things are already a mess. Poor Clarke. When things go bad for her they go real bad. Clarke spent nine months on the rig and forged bonds with Luna(who I still love despite what she tried to do in canon) and Madi.**

**As always, I would love to hear what you thought about this chapter so please drop a review and subscribe to this story if you haven't already and my PM lines are always open.**


	19. Instigator

**Thanks for the response on the last chapter, it was great and I hope you enjoy this one too.**

* * *

"Come on, Octavia," said Bellamy to the younger girl, "That horse will only slow you down."

They had barely gotten any rest through the night from the anxiety. As much as they wanted to charge off into the night, it would surely be a terrible idea. Whoever could take down so many guards _and_ abduct Miller, Monroe, Jasper and _Echo_.

"Fine," said Octavia as she hopped off the horse, "We need to leave soon. The trail should still be decently fresh. Where are the others?"

"Right over here," said Raven as she, Lincoln and Monty walked over with four guns in total, "We needed to stock up."

"You should take a gun, Lincoln," said Octavia once she realised who the odd one out was, "These guys took out Echo. We need every advantage we can get. I doubt there are many streams where we're going."

Lincoln had the power to control the earth. It was not as unique as being able to transform into a machine or controlling your bones, but it was reliable which was more reliable. As it turned out, having elemental control as a power was common amongst the clans and it was always just the one element.

It was also better than getting saddled with nothing at all.

"You already know why I cannot use guns. It is not the way of my people," said Lincoln and he rested an arm on Octavia's shoulder when he saw her eyes flare at the mention of his people, "I know how you feel about them, but it's who I am. I've been Trikru for 23 years. I am Skaikru too, but that does not take away the part of me that is Trikru."

It was something of an issue between the two that Bellamy had noticed. Lincoln and Echo were not able to return to their clans. Octavia wanted Lincoln to fully rid himself of the parts of him that was Trikru, but Bellamy knew it was not that simple.

Even now while they were now on the ground, they still had largely the same structure as on the Ark. Democracy existed, but only for a few positions. It was, in all probability, unfair but Bellamy followed a mantra that he had read long ago.

A person may be smart, but people were dumb. They were fickle too.

All it took was one misstep and the leaders of Arkadia would suddenly be disliked. The only position the people had sway over was that of Chancellor, but even that did not hold too much weight down here. Or at least when it came to the Grounders.

Lincoln and Echo had both confirmed that Clarke was likely seen as their leader by the other clans. That wasn't particularly ideal. Bellamy trusted Clarke wholeheartedly. There was no one he would expect to beat her in a fight and she had a good head on her shoulders. For the most part.

His biggest gripe with her was how volatile she was. The way she had switched from being all-in for helping Skaikru to just running for the hills once everything was said and done. It made for a rather taxing time trying to predict what and how she would react.

"We need to head out," said Bellamy as he climbed into the Rover. The last thing they needed–

"What do you guys think you're doing?"

–was for Abby and Marcus to catch them.

"We have to investigate what happened out there," said Monty his tone grim yet determined, "Our friends are out there. We can't just sit here waiting for them. We won't."

"We've lost over 20 of our guards," said Kane as he ran his hand through his hair, "Your friends are some of the biggest assets in this camp, but you guys are also important. Monty, you're the reason our Farley is flourishing enough for trade. Bellamy, you run the Guard and Octavia and Lincoln train all of them. Raven is the best mechanic and engineer we have. Do you understand what would happen if we lost even one of you?"

Kane was right. They all had important positions around the camp and if they got attacked the consequences would be catastrophic and that was excluding the morale of camp which was already at a low.

"You won't," said Octavia and she glanced at Abby and she was about to add more when Kane interjected.

"We don't know that," he said his tone shutting the girl up, "Echo was stronger than most of you and she got taken. They had more people and you still lost. You heard Jasper's call yesterday. He was panicking. Jasper."

Kane's words were as harsh as they were true. The only one who was able to beat Echo was Raven and occasionally Octavia and Bellamy. She had been one of Azgeda's premier spies and warriors so it was to be expected.

The part about Jasper also struck deep especially with Monty judging by his face. Jasper was rarely fazed by anything. Despite his laidback disposition, Bellamy knew that Jasper was as brave as the came. It made the sheer panic in his voice that much more jarring.

"We hear what you're saying," said Bellamy as he climbed out the Rover, "But this is important. This is for our friends. Not one of us cares about what could happen to us. This is bigger than just Arkadia."

The others seemed to regain some of their resolve at his words so Bellamy pressed on, "I've already told them about the picture with Clarke. They're coming for us already. We need to hit back or they'll just keep pushing."

Inaction would cost them far more than any action they took of that Bellamy was certain.

Bellamy noticed that Octavia was looking at Abby who seemed so drained from it all. Octavia was about to speak when Raven put her hand on Octavia's shoulder as a signal to stay quiet.

She got it.

"Let them go, Marcus," said Abby turning to the man, "These are their friends. A few months ago, you would have done the same for Jaha. We've been doing the same for Clarke. Why is this any different? I'd do the same for you. Would you do the same for me?"

That seemed to do the trick. It was dirty and they all knew it but it worked. Abby and Kane were definitely closer than friends and Kane was unable to answer as he thought over her questions. It was widely rumoured that they were dating, but the only ones close enough to those two know for sure were Raven and Maya who both had a close relationship with Abby.

In the end, he simply sighed heavily before turning away from them, "You guys are right. We need to find them. Go see if you can find any clues, but remember you can't go into any other clan's land. Trikru won't be upset with us, but we don't have much of a rapport with the others despite our trade."

Arkadia was one of the hotspots for trade around the Coalition and despite their unaffiliated status, they had buyers and sellers from all over. This did not mean much, though, as none of the leaders had tried to get into contact with them except for Indra just the one time.

Everyone got into the Rover with Lincoln, Octavia and Monty going to the back. Raven hopped into the driver's seat before Bellamy could get a word out and as Abby and Kane gave their final goodbyes he climbed into the passenger seat.

"Why didn't you let me tell Abby about Clarke?" s!I'd Octavia as they pulled out of Arkadia's gate, "I thought you guys were close."

"She's stressed enough as it is," said Raven not turning back as she worked the controls of the car that she had built from scratch during one of her moods that came around with the mention of Clarke.

"She would only stress more or try to find a way to make Clarke meet us back at Arkadia and then she'd be reluctant to let us go."

Octavia had nothing to say in response after Raven's near-perfect response. Bellamy could see Abby doing that and considering Abby had eventually vouched for them then things would have only gone worse if Clarke's name had been brought up.

"Speaking of Clarke," said Octavia as she changed the topic somewhat, "Where is she meeting us?"

"She said she'll find us," said Bellamy as he looked up to the skies, "She'll probably try to radio us once we're near her."

They had not spent much time speaking on the radio, but Clarke had convinced them to stay the night. They would be at a severe disadvantage if they had gone on and charged in. Only around half of the guards had been able to make it back from the Mountain.

The others were MIA, but everyone knew that they were dead. It would just the morale of everyone else if they were assumed to be taken like how the four delinquents had been according to Jasper's call-in.

A few of the guards had confirmed that their bodies were nowhere to be seen and that they had purely focused on getting out of dodge once the attack began. Bellamy couldn't blame them for running.

When you saw people lift things with their mind or shoot lasers from their hand, it was only logical to become more aware of one's capabilities. The guards still went out and did their job, though, which made them just as admirable in Bellamy's eyes.

The car slowed to an abrupt stop and Bellamy felt ice in his veins as Raven reached into her pocket. That faded, though, as Raven pulled out a music player. A groan echoed through the car as everyone lowered their guard and Raven didn't seem to care as she connected the music player.

"The Mountain's a couple of hours away in this hunk of metal," said Raven as she gestured to the narrow path in front of them, "Music will make things seem better."

Bellamy hoped that was the case. He was itching for a fight.

* * *

It was business as usual for Abby as she was about to go through her daily routine once she left her office. Checking the medicine stocks. Changing IV packs where needed and other things of the sort. It was rather monotonous. Abby could delegate some of the tasks, but she often found she was most at peace when working.

The monotony had broken when the injured guards returned from Mount Weather.

They had a variety of wounds from swords, arrows and even blunt force trauma. Luckily, none of them was poisoned, but that was barely a silver lining. She had barely had the time to speak with the kids before they had gone off to Mount Weather.

Calling them kids were wrong. They were all well over eighteen, but that was still how she saw them at times. Yet, she knew that they were not weak in any sense of the word. They had all gone through hell on the Ark, then on the dropship and yet again in Mount Weather.

If anything, they had a harder life than any of Arkadia's citizens either from the Ark or the Mountain. That being said, Abby still worried about them. Whoever had taken out yesterday's Mount Weather entourage had to be very strong.

Abby had a feeling they were the same people gunning for Clarke. It was the only thing that made sense.

Clarke had already shown Abby just how strong she was. However, Abby would be lying if she said she wasn't scared for Clarke. How couldn't she be? Clarke was her only daughter and Abby worried about her every day.

Clarke could take care of herself, but some part of Abby wanted to be there for her daughter. Abby knew that everything that had happened to Clarke had been building and building until finally she just couldn't take it anymore.

So she left.

She knew that the tipping point had been an argument with Raven. Abby was certain Raven knew it as well. The mechanic had been the one closest to Abby aside from Kane during some of Abby's darker days over these months. Perhaps Raven blamed herself for how Abby would overwork herself constantly, but Abby did not.

Raven had a legitimate reason for being upset with Clarke. Abby could see that clear as day. Yes, Abby wished they could have hashed things out, but life was never that simple. In any case, Raven had still supported Abby when she needed it and she just couldn't bring herself to hate the mechanic.

Not after she was a big part of the reason they had come down to Earth. If it weren't for Raven, who knows what atrocities would be taking place on the Ark. The Culling would have been the beginning of yet another dark chapter in their story.

Thanks to Raven, all it ended up being was a blemish on their already chequered history. It was almost sickening how that wasn't the worst thing they had done. That had been their life on the Ark and if things continued to deteriorate Abby feared it would be their life on the ground as well.

"Uh, Abby," Abby looked up from her desk to see Maya and the girl seemed just as exhausted as Abby felt, "Chancellor Kane is here to see you. Should I send him in?"

"Yes, thank you, Maya," said Abby and before Maya could leave she added, "Don't worry about them. They'll be fine. We'll do everything in our power to get them back."

"Thank you," said Maya and she smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes, "I'll send for Chancellor Kane."

Maya and the other Mount Weather citizens had settled in quite well. They had a lot of skills that were useful to them and more importantly they knew what it was like to be locked up. Their liberation from the Mountain had been...bloody just like the Arkers descent to Earth.

It made for a rather seamless integration that took only a few weeks to settle. The biggest issue had been the abduction of the delinquents, but once it had been made clear where the ex-mountainers stood on that it had blown over.

"Abby," said Kane opening the door slowly, "We need to talk."

"Marcus, you know just as I do it was the right call," Abby did not want to get into a fight not when she was so stressed and even more so because it was Marcus.

"I know," Kane entered her office and Abby rose from behind her desk to stand near him, "Things were just going so well and now–"

Now they weren't.

"I know."

It was just the way life worked out sometimes. No matter what there would always be something that you couldn't control.

"We just have to control the controllable," said Abby as she walked around Kane to shut the door, "Anything else we deal with as best we can."

"We've never fought a war, Abby," said Kane as she came to a stop in front of him, "The things we'll face. The things we'll do..."

"Who we are and who we need to be to survive are two different things," said Abby as she placed her hands on Kane's neck, "Our people will get through this. The kids will get through and we'll get through this."

Together.

Abby pulled Kane into a deep kiss and there was a thump as he let his utility belt fall to the ground. Abby could feel Kane and her as they undressed and sought comfort in each other for the storm ahead. They knew it was going to be terrible, but at least in this moment, they had each other.

That was enough.

* * *

The Rover was brought to a stop as they ran out of road. Bellamy climbed out his side and everybody followed out as Raven shut off the car. The hum of the engine died down and Raven climbed out joining the others outside.

"Who's staying behind?" asked Octavia as she leaned against the Rover, "We can't just leave this here."

Bellamy had to admit that it was a fair point. The Rover was important and if some Grounders got to it then it would be time-consuming to repair. There were plans to build more, but they were obviously on hold for the time being.

"I'll stay behind," said Monty and he raised his hands to cut off any rebuttal, "I'm not good at tracking or in a fight. If something happened back there, I'd just be a liability. "

"We can't split up," said Bellamy once Monty was done, "What if something happens to you over here? We can't take that chance."

"Raven, lock it up," said Bellamy as he stalked off into the woods, "We don't have that much time left."

Thankfully, there were no further arguments and they began their trek to the Mountain. It was a quiet walk. Raven was lost in her music. Lincoln was speaking quietly to Octavia and Monty was silent as he took in the sights around them.

Bellamy did not notice anything unusual per se, but still, the aura the woods gave him was off. He had no idea when Clarke would come, but he hoped it would be soon. Her Instinct would be useful in case anyone tried to get the drop on them.

Bellamy felt a phantom headache form as he walked through the woods. It was in these very woods where he had been given a concussion and forced back to Arkadia by Clarke.

It was also where he had lost one of his powers.

He had not told anyone about it. The Mountain Men were the ones who did it to him and they were long gone. No one really liked speaking about them especially after the cleanup at the Mountain.

The Mountain was considered anathema to the Grounders. They all stayed away from its surroundings even though the place was completely and utterly empty. It was understandable.

None of the delinquents had gone back to the dropship and only a few had been to the Mountain since. It was one of the few things that the Arkers and Grounders agreed on. The Mountain was better left alone.

Or at least that used to be true.

Two attacks in a matter of days on Skaikru. They did not which one of the clans was responsible. They did not know if it was some rebellious leader or if the Commander had ordered the attack. They knew practically nothing.

All Bellamy knew was that they were in danger.

It was not a comforting piece of knowledge. There were too many variables to consider. How many clans were against them? How many clans would come to their aid? Could they even win a war against a clan?

If the numbers were anything like when Arkadia had been attacked by the Coalition then Bellamy had no hope of them winning. Clarke had saved them, but even then Bellamy wasn't sure how much damage Clarke could do on her own.

Bellamy was still certain that Clarke served as a deterrent against anything, but clearly the other clans no longer felt the same. Something had to have changed. There was a reason things were messed up now.

Bellamy took a moment to scan his surroundings and he realised they were getting close to the Mountain. It was perhaps only a few hundred metres away now. Bellamy looked at the others and he saw that he had fallen behind the group.

They were all engrossed in a conversation and not paying particular attention to their surroundings. This gave Bellamy the prime view of watching Monty trip and fall to the ground over something on the floor.

Bellamy ran to catch up with the others and by the time he got there, Monty was already standing. No one spoke and even Raven had turned off her music. Bellamy only realised why when he looked down to the ground.

A guard from Arkadia laid on the ground. It was Wayne Bush. Wayne was one of the older guards and Bellamy felt anger build up in him as he stared at the arrows embedded in his chest.

Lincoln seemed to be particularly interested in the arrows and he gently pulled one of them out. He seemed to examine it for a second before he let out a deep sigh.

"What is it?" said Octavia placing a hand on Lincoln's shoulder.

It did little to comfort the man whose gaze was still firmly on the arrow. Finally, he let it fall to the ground. His voice was deep and low, but the confusion in it was plain as day.

"These are Trikru arrows."

That was the last thing any of them expected to hear. Bellamy knew that Trikru had the best rapport with Skaikru and they had allowed them to make trips to and from the Mountain multiple times.

Of all the clans, Trikru would be their last pick to start something.

That did not say much, though. The traders and vendors from the other clans did not act one way or the other. The only clan they never saw much of was Floukru, but with what they knew about Clarke that made some sense.

Even Azgeda were amicable enough when doing business. It was hard to know whether any of the clans had any real distaste for Skaikru or not. Trikru's cooperation could now be explained away as a facade.

Bellamy wasn't sure what to do.

"Let's look for more evidence," said Monty, "If they fought inside the Mountain then maybe the cameras are still online. We never shut the place down after all."

"That might just work," said Octavia and Bellamy couldn't help but agree.

"The Mountain's just up ahead," said Bellamy as he walked off, "We'll come up with a gameplan once we're inside."

It took them around two minutes to get to the front door of the Mountain and what awaited them was...gruesome.

There were many corpses of guards laying around. They had all been killed in a disturbingly varied number of ways. Stabbings, broken necks, burnt and too many others to list at once.

It was unsettling and the sight only served to dampen the mood of the group. Monty seemed to be the most unsettled of them all so Bellamy spoke up to snap him out of his daze.

"We're going to go to the control centre first," said Bellamy, "If that's a bust we can search the perimeter. "

"How will searching the mountain help us?" said Octavia as she gestured to the corpses around them, "It looks like we have a lot more evidence out here and we can't waste any more time as it is."

Bellamy was silent for a bit before he sighed, "You're right. Monty and I will go check inside. There should be a camera that caught what happened here. We'll check the inside for anything and you guys can check out here."

"I'll be on my own," said Raven as she put her music player away, "I have X-ray vision and can transform my body into any machine I need. Octavia and Lincoln should pair up."

It was a sound argument and soon the group split up. They all had their radios on them so if something came up they would still be able to communicate.

"Let's go, Monty," said Bellamy as he walked ahead of the other boy and deeper into the Mountain.

The inside of the Mountain was cold and ominous despite being rather brightly lit. There was a faint humming as the various machines in the Mountain kept running.

They finally reached the elevator and after a few seconds, they were headed to their destination. The elevator stopped on the fourth floor and they were about to head to the control centre when a large crashing sound came in the opposite direction.

Bellamy looked at Monty who looked just as on edge as Bellamy was, "It was probably just an animal. Let's go to the control–"

This time, however, the sound of something or rather someone running away made Bellamy spring into action. He ran off towards the sound and he only had enough time to tell Monty to head for the control centre before he was out of earshot.

The sound of boots on the floor was distinct and Bellamy knew he was getting closer. He was led up and down hallways and stairs before finally he came to a stop in a hallway that was scorched black.

There was an open door that Bellamy walked through. Inside, he was greeted by a room that looked to have been gutted by flames. There was yet another door to walk through and Bellamy was surprised by what lay beyond the entry chamber.

Twisted and charred metal stretched across the entire room. There were some catwalks high up in the air that seemed to have buckled and now slanted down towards the ground. It was only now that Bellamy realised this must have been where the acid fog had been made.

Bellamy was sure that whoever was running was in here. Bellamy raised his hands before throwing them to each side of him. The room seemed to break as everything was forced to the walls on either side of Bellamy.

The noise it made echoed throughout the room and it was just loud enough to hurt. Bellamy ignored that as he scanned the room for any sign of anyone. He had heard no scream of pain and Bellamy assumed he had either gotten whoever it was or they weren't in here at all.

Bellamy was about to leave when something fell from the ceiling. It landed at his feet and Bellamy was shocked to see a burnt skull with a large dent on the side.

What the hell?

Bellamy looked up and it was then that he saw someone fall from the ceiling and grab onto him. There was a burst of smoke before their surroundings seem to shift, but before Bellamy could process it he was slammed facefirst into something.

Bellamy let out a blast of telekinetic energy and he was surprised when he heard wood snapping. Bellamy looked at his surroundings and cursed as he realised he was in the middle of the forest outside the Mountain.

His only saving grace seemed to be that his opponent was still here. They wore a hood that covered their face and they were leaning back against a tree.

Bellamy raised his hand and bound his assailant with his telekinesis. A small flick with his other hand removed the hood and a woman with tanned skin stood before him. She had on white and black facepaint that his mind instantly connected to one of the other clans.

Azgeda.

"What did you do with my friends?"

The woman did not answer. She only smiled and it was an arrogant thing that made Bellamy's anger ignite. He slammed her into the ground and she let out a groan before he lifted her back up.

"What did you do with my friends?"

Silence.

Bellamy slammed her into the ground harder this time and then once more for good measure. Blood was leaking from her mouth and her forehead and still she smiled as if she was not in pain at all.

Bellamy raised her up and he brought his hand down to slam her into the ground. However, instead of a thump, he heard a pop as she went up in smoke.

Another pop went off behind him and Bellamy moved to the side to avoid a slash from the woman. The knife cut into his arm and Bellamy let out a telekinetic blast by reflex.

The attack connected full-on and the woman slammed into a tree a good ten metres away. She recovered quicker than he expected, however, and disappeared in a burst of smoke. Bellamy waited for about ten seconds until it dawned on him.

She was gone.

Bellamy didn't dwell on this for too long as he knew where she was headed. He used his telekinesis to raise himself in the air. A few seconds later, Bellamy burst through the treetops.

He frowned as he saw he was quite a few miles north of the Mountain. It would take him about five minutes of running at full speed to get back there. Bellamy dropped back down to the ground and he shook off a bout of dizziness.

He reached for his radio, but his hand met nothing, but air. Bellamy felt his insides curl up as he realised his radio had been taken at the beginning of the fight.

"Fantastic."

* * *

"There hasn't been much of anything," said Octavia as she walked just behind Lincoln, "That trail disappeared and we've been guessing ever since. This is so annoying!"

The situation was getting on Octavia's nerves. She hoped that Lincoln would have found something, but even he was drawing up blanks. They had seen nothing of any note for the past ten minutes and were only going off Lincoln's gut instinct.

To make matters worse, a pungent smell hung in the air.

"Are you sure that smell wasn't you?" said Octavia drawing a snort from Lincoln, "I promise I won't be mad."

Lincoln did not say anything further and Octavia was about to say something when she walked into him. Lincoln was looking down on the ground at something and Octavia walked around him to take a look.

She recognised them immediately.

"These are Jasper's goggles," said Octavia and she picked it up carefully.

The lens was cracked and it was covered in dust, but most importantly it had a thick, red crust covering it. Octavia hoped against hope, but Lincoln confirmed what she already knew.

"Blood."

"I'll tell the others," said Octavia as she took out her radio and spoke into the microphone, "Hey, guys. We've got a lead on the eastern side of the Mountain. About ten minutes directly east."

Silence.

"This is serious, guys," said Octavia the slightest hints of annoyance creeping into her voice, "Come in. Monty? Raven? Bella–"

Octavia was cut off as her crystal armour activated. Sharp arrows bounced off of her and tumbled to the ground. Octavia tracked the arrows and fired a wave of shards from where they had come from.

The plant life around them was torn to shreds as the shards cut and tore everything around them. There was a sharp cry of pain and Octavia charged off towards it.

A man in grey facepaint was staggering with a large shard in his leg. Octavia morphed her hand into a sharp blade before attacking the man. The man was slow and it was easy for her to get a deep cut along his torso before she kicked his feet out from under him.

He landed on the ground roughly and as soon as he did, shackles of rock wrapped around his limbs. Octavia mounted the man before punching him right across the jaw. There was a loud crack as the bones in his face broke and he spat out a few teeth.

"Where are my friends?"

The man smiled. He was missing a couple of teeth and blood was coming out of his mouth. Octavia punched him again and again and again until finally Lincoln intervened and pulled her off the man.

"We don't have time, Octavia," said Lincoln as he pulled her off, "He won't talk."

"Skaikru," said the man his face a myriad of broken bones and bruises, "Skaikru will fall to Heda. Atari, do it!"

Faster than either of them could react, the bound man dropped into what looked like a black void. Octavia activated her 360 vision causing her eyes to white out completely. She turned on a dime and fired a shockwave behind her.

The shockwave tore the trunk of a tree apart and from behind the tree walked out a man with maroon facepaint. He held a flaming torch of all things in his hand and on an instinctive level, Octavia knew it spelt trouble.

She fired another shockwave, but the man was quick enough to duck behind the tree. She followed it up with a wave of crystal shards, but the man seemed to be just one step ahead of her.

Thankfully, she wasn't alone.

Lincoln punched the ground and spires of rock sprung out from the ground all around them. Atari was forced to jump and Octavia finally connected with a shockwave. The man was sent flying into a tree and he dropped the torch he was holding.

The man didn't bother standing up. He simply waved them goodbye before throwing the torch far in the direction Lincoln and Octavia had come from.

He disappeared in a dark void and Lincoln and Octavia were left alone. They stood still for a moment as they processed what just happened.

"His facepaint was Yujleda and the other I'm sure was Boudalan," said Lincoln his voice slightly confused, "They don't usually come this far north."

Octavia processed what Lincoln was saying, but her mind was preoccupied with what Atari had done before fleeing. Why bring a torch to this forest? It was clear as day and you could see clearly in the forest. Really, the only sense that would be disturbed was your–

"Oh no," said Octavia as she pulled on Lincoln's arm, "We need to get the hell out of this forest. Now!"

Lincoln seemed to accept her words at face value and Octavia was grateful. It was practically a year ago at this stage, but now Octavia knew what the terrible smell had been earlier.

Hydrazine.

They would be burnt to a crisp if they didn't get out of here. If how pungent the smell was any indication, there was a lot of it spread out. That torch was meant to start a fire. Maybe they could find it before–

A rancid smell was carried on the wind and Octavia frowned as she saw a fire begin to spread rapidly. They would have to move. Fast.

* * *

Raven was on guard as soon as she smelt the hydrazine. She had activated her X-ray vision and she was on red alert just in case someone tried something.

It was with more than a slight sense of annoyance that she realised she had left her radio in the car. It wasn't like her to be this careless, but Raven had feeling out of sorts for the past two days.

Her friends getting abducted and someone gunning for Clarke's head did not put her at peace. She was still mad at Clarke for what happened to Finn. They were extenuating circumstances, but that did nothing to soothe the pain she felt in her chest.

Raven had no idea how she would even speak to Clarke if or when she got here. What to say? Raven felt sorry, but she still meant a lot of what she said. Clarke was one of her closest friends. Would she even be willing to rebuild bridges or would they just ignore each other?

To make matters worse, she was getting nowhere fast. She found no sign of any recent trails and there was this niggling feeling that they were just too late to help their friends. For all she knew, they were all dead and strung up on some random tree in some random field.

It was a reality that others did not want to face. They all spoke as if all of their friends were alive and Raven just could not do that. She had to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. It was how she had gotten by on the Ark and it would serve her well down on Earth as well.

Raven came to a stop and her eyes glowed a bright yellow as she scanned her surroundings. The smell of hydrazine was very noticeable at this stage and it was likely that whoever had put it here knew what the compound was capable of.

The thing was where did it come from? Did the Mountain Men have some strange booby trap that they accidentally triggered? Was that even possible?

The only other possibility was almost too insane to consider.

Hydrazine came from the Ark Stations and a lot of stations didn't survive the landing. Did the Grounders somehow come to realise that the fluid was extremely useful? If a fire started then Raven could just make a mask for herself, but the others would be in serious trouble.

A bush rustled behind her and Raven stopped walking. She activated her X-ray vision before firing twin laser beams towards the bush. There was a scream as her aim struck true, but Raven frowned as she saw fires quickly form and spread across the ground.

Damnit.

She had been careless and had started a fire despite knowing a flammable liquid coated everything close to her. Raven made a mask that formed around her skin and immediately filtered everything unsavoury out the air.

Her eyes stung ever so slightly, but a quickly-formed visor took care of that problem. Raven scanned her surroundings for more warriors. Her X-ray vision allowed her to peer through the smoke and fire that was rapidly spreading.

She found three people who were running away from her. Raven knew she had to capture at least one of them so she took off running after them. The fire was spreading rapidly through the forest and the heat pressed down on her as she ran.

On an impulse, Raven slowed to a stop and raised her hand. It morphed into a cannon before a large beam of energy shot out from it. The beam cut down a swath of trees and took out one of the three targets.

This seemed to shock and infuriate the other two as they doubled back to fight Raven. She tried to fire another blast with her cannon, but there was a loud pop behind her that drew her attention. She turned and was kicked straight in the face.

The kick was strong and Raven felt weightless as she was sent through the air. She slammed into a tree and was given no respite as her assailant appeared in front of her. The white and black facepaint of the woman stood out in the growing smoke and flames.

Ice Nation. _Great_.

Her assailant was soon joined by the other two and they began to beat her down. Raven tried to get a second to form a weapon, but she couldn't focus long enough to do so. Her mask and visor dissipated and the smoke was drawn into her lungs.

Her vision was slowly beginning to blur and in a fit of desperation, Raven threw her arms outwards. A series of small tornadoes formed around her and one of her attackers who had on dark-green facepaint was dragged into one of the tornadoes. He screamed before being thrown deep into the flames surrounding them.

This gave her space to breathe as the last two backed off a bit, but the tornadoes were increasing the rate the fire was spreading. The woman with the dark-green facepaint teleported away leaving only the man with the yellow face paint.

Raven was barely conscious at this point. Her vision blurred as she saw the man before suddenly shift into three copies of himself. Her head was spinning, but she aimed at one of the copies and fired a laser beam.

She missed and it went over the man's head and into the sky above. The man scoffed and he crouched in front of Raven before beginning he wrapped his hands around her neck.

Raven failed as she tried to escape the man's iron grip. She was able to create enough space for her to breathe, but the air was toxic as it stood. Her grip weakened and the man was able to wrap his arms fully around her neck.

Raven struggled desperately to stay alive. Her chest began to burn from both the heat of the flames and oxygen deprivation. Her muscles were weakening and a grim acceptance began to overtake her panic.

However, the pressure around her neck was gone and Raven opened her eyes. Through the smoke, she was able to see a glowing green arrow sticking out from the man's chest.

There was a blur of motion and Raven felt like she was thrown into a whirlpool. That feeling dissipated, however, as clean air burst into her lungs. Raven breathed in deeply before letting out an exhale.

Her vision was still blurry, but after a minute or so it cleared up. Raven realised she was in the sky and she looked at who her rescuer was and she felt relief fill her body.

"I'm getting you to the Rover," said Clarke as she glanced down at Raven, "Madi and I found Octavia and Lincoln running from the fire and we moved them there. I'm still looking for Bellamy and Monty."

"Thanks for saving me, Clarke."

"Don't worry about it."

* * *

Clarke flew through the air as she made way for the Mountain. She had left Madi with Raven, Lincoln and Octavia at the Rover. Raven had been exhausted, but she was still able to muster enough energy to summon rain clouds over the fire.

The forest to the west, south and east of the Mountain was completely decimated. Apparently, hydrazine had been used as an accelerant for the fires. They had walked into a trap and were lucky that they did not get killed.

Monty wasn't answering his radio and according to the others, he and Bellamy had been inside the Mountain at the beginning of this whole thing. They hadn't found any proof or evidence of what happened to their flames unless the attacks counted as proof.

Clarke looked down at the looming form of Mount Weather. Her eyes (now in the form of a hawk) were peeled for any movement and so it was easy for her to see someone crawling on the ground towards the Mount Weather entrance.

Clarke landed by the figure a few seconds later and she was surprised to see the pale and trembling form of Bellamy. His skin was cold to the touch and he seemed to be completely dazed.

"Bellamy, are you alright?" said Clarke and he didn't seem to register her words as he simply collapsed forwards.

Clarke used Insight to see what was going on and she frowned as she realised he had been poisoned. Thankfully, she was able to heal it, much like she did for Lincoln and Echo, and soon Bellamy was fine but unconscious.

Clarke carried him on her back as she walked into Mount Weather. It was a bit of a surprise to see that it was still up and running, but she ignored that. Clarke set Bellamy down and she used her technopathy to sync with the Mountain just like all those months ago.

She sat down next to Bellamy with her legs crossed before closing her eyes. The cameras were back online and Clarke skipped from one to the next as she tried to find Monty.

Medical? Nothing.

Dante's office? Nothing

Dining hall? Nothing.

Control centre? Nothing.

Clarke swept the entire Mountain and still, nothing came up. On a whim, she began to start the clock around the time the others said they had gotten here and what had previously been empty was full of action.

She saw Monty and Bellamy enter. She saw a woman watching their approach from the control centre. She saw how the woman baited Bellamy into pursuing her and how they ran downstairs out of sight.

Finally, a few minutes later she saw the woman teleport behind Monty who was screaming into his radio. She saw the woman knock Monty down before reporting away with him.

Clarke tried to go back to the time of the attack and she saw something similar. Hooded assailants attacked Skaikru before Miller, Jasper and Monroe were taken down and teleported away. Echo had put up a strong fight, but she suddenly collapsed to the floor as she began to shake wildly.

The woman from earlier teleported back in before she picked up Echo. She seemed to pause and stare up at the camera before giving a wave and teleporting away. They cleared out very quickly and soon only the bodies of Skaikru guards were dragged out and left outside the Mountain.

Clarke opened her eyes and she saw Bellamy was still pale and he seemed to be freezing up from getting drenched in the rain. She had to get back to the others.

Things were worse than they appeared.

* * *

"So that makes it how many clans that attacked us?" said a recovered Raven as she tried to inculcate all the details of what had happened.

"The bitch with the white and black paint that attacked you and me was Azgeda," said Bellamy from the driver's seat his annoyance dripping into his voice.

Clarke looked towards Madi who didn't seem to register the word, but when Clarke saw the girl mouth it to herself silent she felt a small bit of annoyance towards Bellamy.

"There was a guy in maroon face-paint for us and the other was...grey," said Octavia, "So that's Broadleaf and Rock Line. What's it in Trig?"

"Yujleda and Boudalan," said Madi and there was something of an awkward air as she entered the conversation.

Clarke could tell they were all curious about the young girl, but now was not the time for that. Clarke cleared her throat as she rounded up the last of their attackers.

"Two other people in dark-green and yellow facepaint attacked Raven," said Clarke drawing a nod from the driver, "That's...Trikru. And Ingronarona–the Plain Riders."

That with the addition of the arrows Lincoln had identified as being Trikru made for a disconcerting image. Various warriors from five of the twelve clans. Two of them being warriors from the two strongest clans.

"This doesn't make any sense," said Clarke as she gave her voice to her concerns, "Why would Trikru and Azgeda work together? Why now?"

There was silence as the Rover went over a few bumps before Octavia spoke, "It's you, Clarke. It has always been you."

Lincoln gave Octavia a look, but there were no words of protest. Clarke knew that the girl was right. This was all about her and the Novus and being Wanheda or Skaifaya or whatever else the Grounders felt like calling her.

"It doesn't matter why they're doing this," said Bellamy turning over in his seat, "We need to figure out what the hell is going on. We can't survive a war and I doubt Floukru or the City of Light have any takers."

Octavia groaned after Bellamy's reply, "That City of Light place doesn't exist. It's an old wives tale. Didn't you listen to Lincoln explain it like a thousand times?"

Clarke remembered that Jaha had run off into the desert in search of a city of some sort. Apparently, it was supposed to be modern and accepting of people from all backgrounds.

That was a joke.

Clarke was about to speak when suddenly Raven slammed on the brakes. Everybody was thrown around, but Clarke managed to keep her balance. Octavia was not so lucky as she had bumped her head hard against the floor and she let her annoyance be known.

"What the fuck was that, Raven?"

Clarke was annoyed at the strong language being used by Octavia, but she put it aside as she looked towards Raven who was staring through the windshield. Clarke followed her gaze and she frowned as she saw who was standing in the room.

"Madi, stay inside," said Clarke as she climbed out the Rover, "Nobody move. You guys are still weak from the hydrazine. You'd be killed in a fight."

Clarke walked out the backdoor of the Rover before shutting it close. She walked around the Rover and leading a platoon of at least fifty Trikru warriors were Anya and Indra.

Clarke schooled her features as she walked up to the two women. There were whispers and murmurs from the other Trikru as she walked closer. They all had their weapons drawn and seemed ready to explode into action if necessary.

"Indra," said Clarke to the older woman before turning to the person at her side, "Anya. What is this?"

"The Commander wants you in Polis," said Anya before she paused for a beat, "Skaikru has been summoned."

"Excuse me?"

"Your people have violated the treaty you agreed to with Heda," said Indra her voice displaying her annoyance at Clarke, "Six of our villages have been ransacked and burnt to the ground. They had many of their residents taken. Skaikru has been summoned to explain their actions."

Clarke knew that this was a lie from the get-go. Kane and her mother would never attack innocent villages. There was something else at play.

"Is that so?" said Clarke her hand balling into a fist, "My people have been attacked multiple times by the Coalition. We've had five of my close friends taken. I've been attacked too. Today, while searching for our people, my friends were attacked by members of the Coalition including Trikru."

That drew a negative response from the crowd behind Anya and Indra, but Clarke did not care. There was no way she was going to Polis without good reason.

"Hold out your hand," said Indra and Clarke stared at the woman sceptically, "If I harm you then you can kill me here and now."

The others tried to protest, but Indra raised her hand to silence them. Clarke stared at the other woman for a few more seconds before she held out her hand.

Indra took Clarke's hand in her own and as soon as she did images began to flow through her head. She saw smoke and fire. Houses and trees and people burning. The stench was horrifying and her windpipe felt like it was getting suffocated.

She ran through the smoke and towards a figure who was shooting waves of fire from her hands. The figure fire a blast that knocked a young child off his feet. Angry, Clarke picked up a rock and threw it at the head of the monster.

The rock hit full on and the monster stopped her attacks. An icy feeling spread through her body as the monster turned its gaze towards her. The golden hair and blue eyes of the monster shocked Clarke as she realised she was looking at–

"Me?"

"That was the last memory of the only person to get a good look at who's been attacking our villages," said Indra as she lowered her hand, "I can transfer and see into the memories of those who let me in."

Clarke knew it wasn't her. That was sure, but the experience was too real to be fake. It was convincing enough to move enough of the clans into action.

"How long ago was this?" said Clarke and it was Anya who answered.

"Four days ago at night," she said before her haze settled on the Rover, "Your machine drew our attention and we intended to send Skaikru a message. We didn't know you were in there."

That was both good and bad news. Clarke had proof that it definitely was not her who had done it so that meant somebody was framing her. She had to clear her name.

"Here," said Clarke as she held out her hand, "I can prove to you that I wasn't involved."

Indra took Clarke's hand in her own.

"It has to be something you can imagine easily. The clearer the memory, the better your case will be."

Clarke was at first unsure of what memory to focus on, but then she settled on one that was still fresh in her mind and would creep into her mind at unexpected times.

"Don't share this with anyone except The Commander," said Clarke drawing a nod from Indra

* * *

Luna laid back down onto the bed and Clarke could feel the older woman's warm breath on the back of her neck. It made her just a bit uncomfortable for a host of reasons.

"Take it from me, Clarke," Luna's voice was deep and as the void of space and it sent all these sensations up and down her spine, "You cannot outrun your problems. They always catch up. Even here, you feel safe, but that will not last."

"There always has and always will be something that will try to disrupt your life, Clarke. I killed my brother for a position I never wanted. I wanted to just stay away from the world, but I came home instead and became the leader. Remember true peace-"

Clarke was not sure how being able to complete Luna's sentences would or could be interpreted by the other woman, but she didn't quite care.

"True peace is given to those willing to fight for it,"

* * *

Suddenly, it was all over and Clarke took a step back. It felt as though she had been submerged in water. She recovered her breath instantly and looked at Anya who seemed a bit stunned before turning to Indra.

Indra's eyes were blown wide open and her eyebrows were raised in an expression of extreme shock. Indra was silent for a few moments before she spoke softly.

"Is that where you have been?" said Indra drawing a nod from Clarke.

"I see," said Indra, "I was not supposed to mention this until you were there, but there is a meeting of all the clan leaders and their generals in Polis in three days to discuss these attacks on Trikru. It is fifty miles east of Arkadia. You may bring Kane and two guards with you."

Indra still seemed to be reeling from the memory Clarke had shown her and understandably so. Luna was a general and clan leader and to see her and Clarke so close must have rattled Indra. It was good news that Luna would be in Polis so Clarke could have an alibi and so this whole mess could get sorted out.

"We'll be there,"

* * *

**Author Notes:**

**Quite a lot happened in this chapter and things already building up for the next major arc in the story.**

**Sorry, if this took long, I was suffering a bit from writer's block, but I'm back now. I'm still splitting focus between Ascendants and Dauntless, check it out if you like Naruto ;), but I will try to publish one of each story sequentially. So, if Dauntless has been updated then Ascendants will be next. **

**Tell me what you thought of this chapter. Last chapter's response was great and I hope you enjoy this one as well.**

**P.S Stay safe in these streets, guys. My country is in lockdown so I should be fine for the time being, but you guys should also take precautions. Don't be reckless like Raven. Be cautious like Clarke. Things will get worse before they get better so you should take this COVID-19 stuff very seriously.**


	20. Trepidation

**Thanks for the feedback on the last chapter and hopefully this can cheer you guys up.**

* * *

Clarke was not sure if she had made a mistake showing Indra the memory of her with Luna or not. She knew that it was her best option, of course. Luna would be able to vouch for her and her name would be cleared, but it still presented another problem.

What would be done with this information?

Clarke didn't expect the specifics to be mentioned to anyone other than Lexa, but would the clans be appeased with a word from their leader? Indra surely held considerable sway as the leader of Trikru, but since Clarke was being framed she wondered if the true perpetrators would strike then.

"A meeting in Polis? How many of us are going?" said Bellamy as the Rover was restarted. Indra and her warriors had already retreated and apparently Anya would be the one to take them to Polis from TonDC.

"Other than me and Kane, we can bring two guards," said Clarke leaning her head against the shell of the Rover, "I think it should be Bellamy and Raven."

Clarke had expected a flare-up from Octavia, but she seemed to agree with the choice. Octavia must have felt Clarke's eyes on her as she turned to Clarke.

"You guys are going into the Coalition's stronghold," said Octavia as she shrugged her shoulders, "They're strong enough to help out. Plus, my temper might get the better of me while I'm there."

It was a more mature outlook than Clarke had been expecting, but it seemed like Octavia had grown in their time apart. There had been some initial awkwardness, but the reality of the situation seemed to have melted that away.

The others were mostly the same. Bellamy was calmer and he seemed to take a second longer before acting. Lincoln was also the same, but that didn't say much considering Clarke had barely spent time around him to begin with.

The only difference was that he seemed to be a lot closer to Octavia, but that had been apparent even before the Mountain. Perhaps Lincoln's influence had tempered Octavia's boldness. That was obviously a good thing.

The only one who seemed different was Raven. She seemed so...tense whenever Clarke spoke to her. Clarke still remembered their last conversation before she left. How could she not? Neither of them had said anything about it, but what was there to say?

In any case, that had to be put on the backburner for now. They still had to get their story straight before they left for Polis and speaking of Polis there was still a big issue with going there.

Clarke wasn't sure what to do about Madi who was currently lying on her lap asleep. Arkadia was fairly safe, but with her, Raven a d Bellamy gone they would be easy pickings. The problem was, though, that bringing Madi to Polis would attract a lot of unwanted attention.

Even if Madi somehow managed to blend in while in Polis, the chances of a fight breaking out in Polis were still too high for Clarke's liking. Clarke only trusted Luna with Madi and knowing there was no right option here was just another problem to deal with.

"Do you think it's a trap?" Raven said and Clarke shook her head even though Raven couldn't see her.

"Something else is going on," said Clarke as she thought back to her encounter with Indra and Anya.

The memory Indra had shown Clarke was... illuminating. Whoever had been posing her had done a good enough job to convince the average person. Of course, it didn't work on Clarke since she knew that it was a fake.

"If someone was able to pose as me," Clarke began, but she was cut off by Bellamy.

"Then those Grounders could have been impersonated as well," he said gravely, "That means this whole trip could have been for nothing and we lost Monty for nothing."

"That's why it's important we go to this meeting," said Clarke, "Something is bound to happen while we're there. The clan leaders and their generals and us in one room? I'd be more surprised if nothing happened. "

"We're here," said Raven and Clarke looked out the windscreen to get her first glimpse of Arkadia in months.

The walls seemed to have been raised higher and made thicker. Plus, there was a multitude of manmade structures that surrounded the last surviving Ark station.

There were quite a few people milling around and Clarke leaned back into her seat as they slowed to a stop. The jolt seemed to wake Madi up who stretched before turning to Clarke.

"Are we at Arkadia?" Madi's presence had mostly been ignored by the others, but Clarke could tell they were all curious about the younger girl. Especially since she had shown to have a few powers.

"Yes," said Clarke rising to her feet and she held onto Madi's hand, "Stay close. I don't want you running around."

Madi didn't seem to mind the restriction as they all filed out of the Rover. There were a couple of stands set up that Clarke realised must have been set up for trading with the Coalition. Even now, there were a few Grounders perusing the stands.

The relaxed atmosphere seemed to change, though, as Clarke was spotted by one of the many people around them. Her hair still held a few red streaks in them, but her hair and face was a dead giveaway.

No one seemed brave enough to approach her, but she felt the gaze of virtually everybody on her and Madi. Clarke tightened her hold on Madi's hand before turning to Bellamy.

"Where's Kane? We need to tell him what's going on."

"I'm right here," said Kane as he walked towards them. His surprise was clear as day as he saw Clarke standing right in the middle of their camp.

Kane seemed to realise that everyone was paying far too much attention to them and he turned to the crowd, "Carry on, please!"

It was a simple order, but it did a lot as most of everyone went back to their own business. Clarke felt herself relax and she let go of Madi's hand as everyone's focus was now elsewhere for the most part.

"It's good to have you back, Clarke," said Kane as he shook her hand, "Abby will be glad to see you."

Kane stepped back and he looked over the group his eyes lingering on Madi for only a moment. He looked towards the Rover before a serious expression came over his face.

"What happened to Monty?"

* * *

"That's a lot to take in," said Kane as he leaned back in a chair, "This is a lot messier than I expected."

Clarke had just finished explaining the events of the day to Kane who seemed a touch overwhelmed. It was rather worrying that there was someone actively seeking to ruin relations between the Coalition and Skaikru.

There was no chance of either side proving their innocence without having a meeting. There was the off-chance that this was just a ploy by Lexa to lure Clarke into danger, but it was far too convoluted of a plan for that to make any sense.

"We'll go to Polis," said Kane with a tone of finality in his voice, "I'm not going, though."

Clarke was surprised by that mirroring the confusion of the others, "You're the Chancellor. You have to be there."

"You saw what happened in TonDC," said Kane nonplussed by their confusion, "They won't take me seriously. I don't command their respect."

"So who's going in your place?" Clarke asked and she felt her heart sink as Kane's gaze was fixed on her. She began to shake her head even as Kane began to speak.

"It has to be you, Clarke," said Kane and Clarke looked at the faces of the others to gauge their reaction and they all seemed to be on the same page.

"Indra respects you enough to tell you about this meeting even though we weren't meant to know," said Bellamy drawing Clarke's eyes to him, "Plus, you're on good terms with the Floukru leader. No one in this camp will be taken as seriously as you, Clarke."

"I don't even know the first thing about running this place," Clarke knew it was a feeble defence and Kane proved it as he cut that argument down.

"I'll teach you over the next few days," he said as he unclipped the badge on his chest, "Besides, it would be better if you took Octavia with you. Indra can read her memories of the attack to solidify our case."

It made for a compelling argument and Clarke only paused for a moment before she accepted the Chancellor's pin. She attached it to her chest and it seemed to hold something of a metaphorical weight.

"Won't the people be upset?" Octavia said as she pointed out something Clarke hadn't thought of, "Clarke's our best option by a lot, but they might get upset."

"Abby and I will run damage control," said Kane, "This is too precarious of a situation for us to get hung up on what they'll think. A speech by Clarke would help a lot in quelling any dissent, but that can wait for before you guys leave."

"Where's my mom?" Clarke asked as they reached the end of the debriefing, "Is she in Medical?"

"I think so," said Kane as he rose to his feet, "There are still quite a few guards hurt from the attack at the Mountain. I'm sure she'd appreciate your company. "

Clarke had expected as much. The carnage she had witnessed would have kept a large number of guards sidelined for the time being. Maybe she could lend her mother some help too.

"I need to check on something," Raven said as she rose to her feet and that seemed to be the cue for everyone to file out the room.

Clarke walked in the opposite direction of the other with Madi in tow. The girl seemed to be rather interested in the sights that Arkadia had to offer and it was at times like this that Clarke remembered Madi was still a child.

They finally reached Medical and once she got inside Clarke was surprised to see Maya standing over a guard with a clipboard. Maya didn't seem to register Clarke's presence until she was right in front of her.

"Clarke?" Maya said her face showing her disbelief, "You're back? It's so good to see you! Abby will be over the moon."

Maya pulled Clarke into a hug that she returned. Maya seemed to be a lot happier than when she had been in Mount Weather and it made for a rather warm feeling to well up in Clarke. For all the bad that had gone down in Mount Weather, there was still some good to come from it.

"Who's this?" Maya said as she looked down at Madi who was standing a little behind Clarke.

"Maya, I need the reports on the status of the guards before I go into surgery–"

Clarke turned to the source of a voice she had never forgotten and she was greeted by the sight of her mother standing stock still. Clarke walked towards her mother slowly who couldn't quite seem to process what was in front of her.

It was only once Clarke was close enough to pull her into a hug, did Abby seem to register Clarke's presence. Soft sobs began to wrack Abby's body as she pulled Clarke closer and closer to her.

"I've missed you so much, Clarke. Are you okay? The attack at the Mountain–"

"I'm fine, mom," Clarke said as she quelled Abby's rising panic, "I'm just happy to see you."

Clarke wasn't quite sure how long they had been hugging, but eventually, Abby stepped back as if she just remembered something. She looked down towards Madi and a puzzled expression filled her face.

"Who's this?" Abby said as she knelt down to Madi's level, "What's your name, sweetie?"

"Madi," Clarke was happy to see that Madi didn't appear on edge as she spoke to Clarke's mother.

"It's nice to meet you, Madi," said Abby before turning her gaze to Clarke, "How did you two meet?"

"I saved her from these people trying to take her," said Clarke, "She's very important to me."

Clarke was not sure what to label her relationship with Madi, but all she knew was that she loved the girl as if she were her own flesh and blood. Abby pulled Madi into a hug and Madi only paused for a second before returning it.

A few moments later, Abby rose and her eyes were drawn to something shiny on Clarke's chest. Clarke saw her mother's expression twist as she took in the Chancellor's pin on her chest.

"Clarke," said Abby her voice holding a touch of confusion and anger, "Why do you have that?"

"It's a long story," said Clarke before she looked at the guards in the room, "Let us heal these guards first. Madi, help out those you can. Maya, please help her with removing the equipment."

Madi nodded before going to one of the guards that wasn't too hurt, at least in relation to the others. She placed her hands above the guard before they began to glow a soothing green. Slowly, the guard's wounds and bruises began to dissipate before he was fully healed.

Clarke turned back to her mother who seemed stunned by the sight of Madi's powers. As Madi went to the next bed with Maya trailing behind her, Clarke raised a hand to halt any questions.

"There are more pressing issues to deal with than that right now," Clarke said even as the first of the guards began to awaken, "Why don't I help you out with the critical cases and I'll fill you in on what you've missed?"

Abby didn't bother to use any words as she simply nodded. She glanced at Madi healing another one of the guards before turning back to Clarke.

"Ok. Let's go."

* * *

Clarke took a deep breath as she stood before the gathered crowd. They were made up of people Clarke remembered from both the Ark and the Mountain. Right now, they all seemed to be calm as they waited for her to speak under the scorching afternoon sun.

It had already been two days since she had returned and now she was about to head out to the capital of Trikru to quell any suspicions the Grounders may have, but also to raise suspicions of their own.

Word had already spread of Clarke being appointed Chancellor and while there was no unrest, Kane had told her to put the people at ease. She was still remembered for saving them from the Grounders first attack on them as well as getting the Mount Weather citizen out so, at the very least, she had something to work with.

Clarke cleared her throat as decided to simply bite the bullet and go ahead. The crowd fell silent and Clarke took that as a cue to begin her speech.

"Hello, people of Arkadia," Clarke said and she received a few mumbled greetings back, "As I'm sure you've heard by now, I've been elected the new Chancellor. "

There was no negative reaction to this which pushed Clarke on to continue, "This did not come from nowhere. Chancellor Kane had been doing a phenomenal job and ordinarily, I would have wanted him to continue, but these are not ordinary times."

"Our lives are in danger," said Clarke causing some unrest amongst the people, "There have been multiple attacks and abductions of some of our people and on me personally. It has been a tough few days for all of us, but I promise I'll make this right."

"We are Arkers. We are from the Mountain. We are Skaikru," said Clarke, "We will survive anything and everything that they throw at us, but for that to happen we need to be united. I'll be honest with you. Things may get worse. We could be in for the hardest times of our lives, but I will stop at nothing to get us through it. "

There was rapturous applause after her speech and Clarke felt a bit awkward as she stood on the stage. Thankfully, Kane took it as his chance to speak once the applause died down.

"I'll be leading Arkadia in Clarke's stead until she returns from Polis," Kane said, "Thanks to Clarke and Abby, the Guard has recovered from the attack on the Mountain and will continue to operate. Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen, that'll be all."

The crowd began to disperse and although there was a seriousness in the air, there was none of the outright dissent, Clarke feared would appear. Perhaps their people were a bit too comfortable with authoritative leaders due to their pasts on the Ark and in the Mountain. It worked for Clarke, though, and she liked to think the backing from the people was genuine.

"Are we taking the Rover?" asked Octavia as she, Bellamy and Raven walked up to Clarke. Kane was already nearby and they were soon joined by Abby and Madi.

"I don't think that's necessary," said Clarke, "I can carry two of you guys to TonDC and then I can get the last one over as well."

"Okay, then it's settled," said Bellamy as he walked towards the gate, "I'll meet you at the gate."

Octavia followed after him leaving Raven, Kane, Madi and Abby with Clarke. It was Kane that brought up something still plaguing Clarke.

"Are you going to leave Madi?" he said looking at the child, "I know you have reservations about the Grounders but–"

"I'll take her with," Clarke said surprising everyone but especially Abby who looked rather upset, "It's not that I don't trust you, but she would be safest at my side. I'll just take her as my second. "

"We should trust Clarke on this one," said Raven to the surprise of Clarke and it seemed to be enough to convince Abby and Kane.

"Okay," said Abby placing her hands on Madi's shoulders, "Just keep her safe, Clarke."

Madi had formed a rather close bond with Abby over the past few days. While Kane had been showing Clarke the ropes on how to be Chancellor, Madi had spent the majority of her time with Abby.

Clarke knew her mom had always been very good when dealing with children, but it was still nice to see her gel so quickly with Madi. Of course, no one in the camp knew that Madi was a nightblood.

Clarke assumed they knew the significance of being a nightblood after her gauntlet and it was only her paranoia that kept her from revealing Madi's status. She would tell them before they went to TonDC. It wouldn't do for them to be caught flat-footed by it if anything happened while in Madi.

Clarke walked with Raven and Madi to the gates and Bellamy and Octavia were waiting for them. Octavia was engrossed in a conversation with Lincoln, but it seemed to be over as Lincoln kissed Octavia before nodding towards the others in a sort of farewell.

Bellamy was the first to see Madi at her side, "You want to bring her? Isn't it unsafe?"

Clarke shook her head, "Madi is more than strong enough to come along. The Grounders that were here to trade already saw her and how close she is to me. I'd rather have her by my side if something were to happen."

Clarke could still sense their scepticism when it came to Madi's strength and so Clarke made a small needle of light. Madi seemed to understand as she held out her hand and Clarke gently pricked her index fingers.

Dark blood oozed out of the wound and flowed down Madi's finger. Clarke looked at the faces of her friends and they all had the same expression of shock. Clarke wiped the blood off of Madi's finger before healing the small wound.

"Is that part of the reason why you found her?" Bellamy asked and Clarke nodded.

"A few bandits were trying to abduct her for her blood," Clarke said, "Her village was razed by Reapers and we were actually in the Mountain together, but I saved her and we've been together ever since."

Clarke allowed them to digest that before she raised her hand and spun it in a circle. A ring of energy formed a few feet away and looking through it they could see a town in the distance. It was Bellamy that recognised it first though.

"TonDC?" Bellamy said as he stated through the portal, "Why don't you take us straight to Polis?"

"I've never been there so I can't," said Clarke, "I usually prefer walking, but we've got no time to waste. Who's first?"

Octavia approached the portal and she stuck her hand through it before eventually jumping through it. Bellamy was next as he just walked straight through and Madi followed right after him. Raven was last and she stared rather tentatively at the portal.

"That thing doesn't obey the law of physics," Raven said causing Clarke to smile a bit.

"Just go."

Raven seemed to be hesitating, but eventually, she just ran straight through the portal. Clarke looked behind her and she took in the sight of Arkadia one last time before walking through the portal.

The others were waiting for her on the other side and she closed the portal behind her. It seemed to have attracted a fair bit of attention from the TonDC residents as a few of them began to approach the group, but thankfully it was led by Anya.

"You're early," she said looking at Clarke.

She looked over the group one at a time and her eyes seemed to linger on Madi the longest, "Where is Kane? I thought he would come here with you."

"I'm the Chancellor now," Clarke said and Anya's eyes were drawn to the pin on her chest, "This is who I'm taking with me."

"You have an extra person with you," Anya's tone was more curious than guarded, but the body language of the Grounders around them leaned more to the latter.

"She's my second," It was a declaration that seemed to temper some of the hostility towards them, "She goes wherever I go."

"You were told to bring only four people including yourself, Wanheda," said one of the warriors around them, "Do you not respect the Coalition?"

"I don't trust the Coalition," Clarke said as she glared at the man who had spoken up, "In case you forgot, Skaikru was abandoned by the Coalition at the Mountain and my people have been attacked by yours as well. I took the order as a suggestion. "

"Kylian, be quiet," Anya said before she dismissed the group as a whole, "The meeting starts tomorrow a few hours past noon. Would you like to stay here for now or do you want to go to Polis now?"

"I think we've overstayed our welcome," Raven said as she eyed the retreating group of Grounders, "Hopefully, people are more respectful in Polis."

That seemed to cause Anya to twitch, but before any more could be said Clarke turned to Anya, "Raven's right. We want to get to Polis as soon as possible."

"Very well," Anya said only sparing a glance at Raven, " Form a circle and hold onto each other's hands."

They did as directed before Anya joined the circle between Raven and Clarke. She closed her eyes for a few seconds before opening them again. Less than a second later, they disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

Polis was...impressive.

Clarke had never been in a city before. TonDC was rather large, but it did not have buildings that rose up into the sky. Polis had plenty of them– skyscrapers if Clarke remembered correctly.

Its walls were thick and sturdy and a multitude of buildings rose above the titanic walls. However, right in the centre of the city was a behemoth of a building. It was an off-white cylindrical tower that dwarfed all of the buildings in the tower.

A vast flame blazed at the top of the tower acting as a beacon of sorts. Clarke had no doubt in her mind that it could be seen from miles away at night. It was a little disturbing that they allowed a giant flame over the tallest building, but Clarke assumed they had a way of dealing with it.

"These buildings are from before the bombs," Bellamy said his voice filled with wonderment, "How did they survive so long? It's been hundreds of years. "

"I actually know that one," Raven said as she took in the sight before them, "Countries were trying to build sturdier and sturdier buildings that could withstand an all-out nuclear war as tensions rose between countries. It seems like it worked."

Clarke was still surprised by how much of the old world had survived until today. Luna's rig, Mount Weather and this tower were the most prominent of examples of this. The only other example Clarke could think of was the Ark which had survived centuries in the void of space which was no easy feat.

The world they lived in lacked technology, but Clarke wasn't entirely sure if they were better off for it. Conflict and strife existed all the same and a part of Clarke wished for technology to reclaim parts of the Earth.

It would make things like famine or plagues far more manageable and would surely improve the lives of the Grounders. Ironically, Clarke had a wealth of old-world knowledge in her head, but Clarke would do her best to avoid Darah as much as she could.

She would find another way to change the world they were living in.

"I'm guessing the tower is where we're staying," Clarke said drawing a nod from Anya, "Heda placed Skaikru above the meeting hall. Coalition members will be on the levels below that."

"How many clans are here? Are we the last to arrive?" asked Octavia and Anya nodded.

"All, but Skaikru and Azgeda have arrived," Anya said and her face seemed to twist at the latter, "There was said to be some weather that prevented them from arriving earlier. Indra is accompanying them to Polis."

The rest of the walk to the gates was in a steady silence. Even Madi seemed to grasp the seriousness of the situation ahead as she remained quiet even though Clarke could see she was enamoured by the sight of Polis.

Clarke tried to keep calm, but there was a kernel of unrest rooted in her chest and it only grew as she got closer and closer to the gates. Her dreams had been plaguing her for months on end and even after all these months, Clarke knew she still had some things to work out.

The nightmare from a few days ago was just evidence of this. Some part of Clarke still hung onto all the turmoil and stress and all other emotions from after her escape from the Mountain. Maybe it was because Lexa's betrayal had blindsided her unlike anything before or maybe it was because of who had betrayed her.

Clarke knew she had to push the swirl of emotions down. It would only result in her saying or doing something that she would regret later on. The best-case scenario would be clearing their names and finding those responsible for attacking them and taking their friends.

Clarke was drawn out from her thoughts as they finally reached the gates of Polis. There were a few guard ms who eyed them cautiously, but let them pass as they saw Anya was at the head of their group.

Clarke made sure to pull Madi closer to her as they walked the busy streets of the capital. There were murmurs and whispers and looks as they traversed the capital. Their attire made them stick out as it was only Madi and Clarke who wore clothes similar to the Grounders.

Clarke still attracted the most attention by a fair distance and she had a feeling it was because people knew who she was. It wasn't too farfetched of an idea and considering how everyone seemed to avoid her gaze then the more likely it became in Clarke's mind.

Finally, they reached the tower and it looked even more impressive from up close. Clarke took a moment to take in the sight of the tower as it soared into the sky above before turning to Anya.

"Ready when you are."

"I don't know if you know what is waiting for you," Anya said and while it sounded rather ominous Clarke chose to not let it bother her.

They walked inside and made their way towards one of the elevators. Clarke was sure there was no power in the building so she was a bit confused when they filed into the elevator. Anya teleported away before returning a few seconds later.

There was a groan from somewhere above them before the elevator began to move upwards. It was not nearly as fast as the elevators in Mount Weather and Clarke realised the elevator was probably being operated manually.

The ride was surprisingly stable and it took Clarke surprise as it came to a halt. Anya opened the doors and Clarke was about to file out, but she was stopped by Anya.

"You need to announce your arrival to Heda," Anya said, "Only one of your people may accompany you if you wish."

"That's fine. Bellamy, you guys get settled in," Clarke said raising her hands to stop any arguments, "I'll be fine, guys. Seriously. Just go get settled in."

There were no further arguments and soon the elevator was descending again. Anya seemed to have something on her mind before she finally spoke.

"Things are not looking good," Anya said turning to Clarke, "The attacks are not unique to Trikru. A lot of clans have reported their people disappearing and various attacks. A lot of them think this was your doing."

"Are you one of those people?" Clarke asked drawing a shake of the head from Anya.

"Those people do not know you like I do," Anya said as the elevator came to a stop, "You would not do something like this. Whatever this mess is, it is from inside the Coalition. "

"Thanks, Anya," Clarke said before the doors opened and they walked out the elevator. Knowing that Anya was on her side did a lot to ease the tension Clarke felt. They continued to walk as they took a number of turns before finally, they came to a large door.

There was a line of people outside the door leading into the room. Clarke could hear the buzz of conversation behind the door and she turned to Anya in confusion.

"What is this?"

They came to a stop outside the door next to the front of the line before Anya said, "Once a week, the Commander listens to the plight of the people. Her will extends all over the Coalition and so people are free to speak to her about any issues they may have. Usually, only Trikru make use of this, however."

"Why is that?"

"A lot of clan leaders do not like being subverted so it may not end well for those who go directly to the Commander," Anya said as they moved to the front of the line.

No one had an issue with this and Clarke crossed her arms as she waited. A few moments later, a man walked out of the room and he was soon followed by a bald man in flowing robes.

"Next–Anya," said the man before he turned his gaze to Clarke, "Wanheda, I see you are here. I understand you took a...hiatus from leading your people. Where is your Chancellor? Is he sick?"

Clarke did not like this man. He had an air about him that just annoyed her. It was similar to the arrogance of Ontari that just rubbed Clarke the wrong way. Thankfully, Anya spoke before Clarke did.

"Titus," said Anya to the man, "Announce Chancellor Clarke's arrival. We have just come from TonDC."

Titus caught the title added onto Clarke's name and his eyes lingered on Clarke before going into the room.

"Heda, a special guest has arrived," Titus' voice echoed out through the room, "Skaikru's Chancellor has arrived."

Clarke took a deep breath before walking in. There was a pause before the first in the room recognised her. Clarke barely had time to survey the room before she had to defend herself.

*!*

A man lunged at her with a dagger, but Clarke ducked under his strike. She grabbed onto his arm before throwing him to the ground. She held onto his arm with her left hand before placing her boot on his chest.

Anger filled her being as flames began to form on her right hand. She raised it towards the man and she was about to melt his face off when a familiar voice called out to her.

"Clarke," Clarke looked up and she saw Luna standing up from her seat, "Remember where you are."

Clarke looked around the room and she was surprised to find the room filled with most of the generals. They were seated on either side of a throne on which Lexa sat. All of them looked ready to attack.

"Was this whole thing a trap?" Clarke said looking at the Commander, "If any of you want to kill me then do it yourself."

"You have some nerve," said a woman in tan robes. Erid, the Sankru general, if Clarke remembered correctly.

"My people's villages have been under attack for months and you were seen at the site of these attacks," The man said as he rose to his feet, "You're lucky Heda has not allowed me to cut you down where you stand."

"That is enough, Erid," Lexa said as she stared down the man before turning back to Clarke, "I can assure you that you were not brought here as a trap, Chancellor. Allow my people to deal with that man."

Clarke looked over the faces of the generals before her eyes landed on Luna who was right next to Lexa. Luna's face was twisted in the way that showed she was uncomfortable with the situation.

Clarke sighed deeply before stepping off of the man. Guards swarmed him the second he tried to rise and he was taken away. Titus walked out from somewhere behind Clarke as he turned to Lexa.

"Heda, I believe the hearing should be adjourned in light of the attack on Wanheda," he said and Lexa nodded to show her approval.

"Generals and guards, you may leave," Lexa said and it was an order that was obeyed after a few seconds of pause. Luna walked past Clarke and they exchanged nods before soon the room was empty of all save for Lexa's guards and Titus.

"I am sure you have heard of the accusations laid out against you," Lexa said and Clarke saw that her face was devoid of any warpaint.

"I have."

"For what it is worth, I do not believe Skaikru are responsible for the attacks," Titus muttered something under his breath, but he was ignored for the time being.

"Then call off your people," Clarke said a bit of frustration leaking into her voice, "I want nothing to do with the Coalition. It's your clans that keep running after me and pestering my people. We've been attacked multiple times over the past week by warriors in Coalition colours. Why are my people the ones being judged?"

Lexa's face showed her surprise at Clarke's revelation her posture just a bit more stiff, "Your people have been attacked by Coalition members? "

"Yes," Clarke said and in truth Lexa's reaction gave credence to her not being involved, "First, our guards got attacked and left at the Mountain. We went to the Mountain to investigate and the same happened, but this time some of my friends were abducted. The last time we were attacked again before they set fire to the forest around the Mountain. That was the day we met with Indra and Anya."

"This does not prove anything," Titus said inserting himself in the conversation, "You only wish to lay the blame elsewhere. You have been accused of multiple attacks in Trikru land. How can we trust you?"

"I haven't been on Trikru land for nine months," Clarke said as she glared at Titus, "Indra already scanned my memories of the day of the attack where I was spotted. She knows I'm innocent. In fact, when she gets here, she'll show you the memory herself."

"As reliable as Indra's word is," Titus said and Clarke found her already negative view of the man take another hit, "It will not be enough to convince the generals and by proxy the leaders."

"I thought the clan leaders were already here?" Clarke's question drew a shake of the head from Lexa.

"That had been the initial idea, but it had been changed," Lexa said a hint of intrigue in her voice, "Perhaps Indra may have misremembered the exact details."

That did not seem quite right to Clarke. Indra was as professional as they came. Surely she would remember something like that. Unless there was something else at play. It wasn't out of the realms of possibility that Indra had simply forgotten. She was only human after all.

"Indra isn't the only person who can tell you the truth," Clarke was about to add more when she heard a loud conversation start from outside the room.

"The Commander has requested all generals to leave."

"I am no general, boy."

The doors to the room were pushed apart as an older woman with dirty blonde hair walked in. She had two guards with her, one a tall man with long hair and the other–

"Ontari?" Clarke's whisper sounded loud in the room and the Azgeda general locked eyes with Clarke immediately. Ontari's face twisted into something halfway between disgust and cruel delight upon seeing Clarke's face.

It only served to put Clarke on edge.

Clarke looked back at the older woman who seemed to be staring at Lexa. The man at her side seemed to be staring at his leader and it was only now that Clarke realised just who this was.

"Nia," Lexa said her voice holding something of an edge to it, "I was not made aware that you would be attending."

What are you doing here?

"It was a late decision, Commander," Nia responded in Trigedasleng, but Clarke understood her perfectly, "Was I interrupting something? "

"It doesn't matter right now," Clarke said in Trigedasleng surprising the others with her usage of the language.

She switched back to English as she said to Lexa, "I'm sure you have a lot to discuss with Nia. I'll leave you to it."

Clarke made to walk outside, but Lexa's voice called after her.

"There will be a dinner with all of the generals later tonight," Lexa said, "I will send a handmaiden once it is ready. I hope you enjoy your stay in Polis."

Clarke nodded in acknowledgement before carrying on her way. Even with her back turned, she could feel the gaze of everyone in the room on her until she left the room closing the doors behind her.

She had to get her story straight. Luna was the key to all of this and they had to be on the same page or else things could get a lot worse for Skaikru.

* * *

Clarke stayed quiet as she followed a handmaiden to the dining room. As it turned out, the dinner was only open to the generals and so the others had gone with Anya to another dinner for the other delegation members.

As it turned out, there were stairs that could be used in the building which made sense. It would be rather tedious if the only way of navigating the tower was through the elevator.

The most surprising thing about the tower, though, was it had running water. The handmaiden had mentioned it to Clarke. From what she had said, there was a machine that one of the previous Commanders had designed that pumped collected water through the building.

Those who could control water were often assigned to funnelling water to the tower. The machine had a boiler built-in so the water was purified as it pumped through the tower.

It was no small feat and it showed that the Grounders weren't terribly adverse to technology. As a matter of fact, stuff like torches and lamps were some of the most sought after products from Arkadia.

In any case, the Grounder's technology was unimportant right now. Clarke had not been able to find time to speak to Luna. According to a handmaiden, Luna had been having talks with a lot of the generals.

It was easy for Clarke to forget that Luna was a clan leader and that Floukru land existed beyond the rig. Luna still had to keep up trade routes and partnerships if she wanted her people to be safe.

Floukru were rather averse to fighting, but they still had a fair amount of warriors. They were close allies to Trikru and so they were never really antagonised especially compared to clans like Louwoda Kilron. Luna had said Shallow Valley was one of the weakest clans and relied on the Coalition heavily to get by.

They came to a stop outside a large door and Clarke could hear some conversation going on. The handmaiden bowed before she walked off leaving Clarke alone. Clarke sort of wished she had arrived first, but in the end, it was inconsequential.

Clarke walked in and the first thing she noticed was the smell of the food. Spices, wine and all other scents that made Clarke realise she was actually rather hungry.

The second thing she noticed was that she was a little late. The circular table was empty save for two seats. The one was rather ornate and it didn't take a genius to realise that was meant to be Lexa's seat.

The other seat was about two seats to the left of Lexa's seat, but Clarke relaxed once she saw who was next to it. Luna. Clarke was aware of everyone's eyes on her as she sat down. The one that put her the most on-edge was that of Ontari, but luckily she was seated rather far away.

Clarke looked around at the others and soon conversation began again. Luna was to her right and opposite her was Indra whose face was set in something resembling curiosity. Titus took up the seat adjacent to Lexa's and he seemed to be doing his best to ignore Clarke.

"If it isn't Skaifaya herself. It's been a long time since you've graced us with your presence," Clarke sighed as she was addressed by the general next to her. It was the Podakru general, Akeri.

"I needed a break," Clarke said choosing to be civil and keep the conversation. Akeri was one of the more bearable generals, but considering Clarke only had a bead on Indra, Luna and Ontari that was not saying much.

"I'm sure," Akeri said before whipping his hair back, "You had quite the trial at TonDC and at the Mountain. Are the rumours true? All those people killed by one person?"

"What about it?" Clarke felt her temper rise, but it fell just as quickly as Luna placed her hand on Clarke's knee.

It was quick and fleeting, but it worked to calm Clarke down. She noticed that quite a few of the generals were interested in her conversation and so was Titus. Clarke calmed herself as Akeri responded.

"It's just very impressive is all," he said a smile on his face, "Most would say all that power makes you dangerous, but I find strength to be rather... attractive."

Clarke had to struggle to not roll her eyes. Akeri was very handsome. Clarke was sure even Indra would admit that, but he was not her type. Aside from being a total stranger, his personality was just a bit too brash for Clarke's liking.

"If you find power attractive then why don't you try your luck with Lexa," it was rather interesting to see how those around her reacted to that.

Titus was the one with the most animated reaction his face settled into a sneer, "Heda is wise enough to not care about such trivial matters. She is above caring about sating her body's desires. Something I believe is a weakness of yours, Akeri."

Titus's little speech was blunt and rather pretentious, but it at the very least ended the conversation between Clarke and Akeri. Clarke turned back to Luna who seemed a bit amused by Titus' rant.

"You were busy today," Clarke said and despite herself, a hint of annoyance leaked into Clarke's voice.

"I know why you are upset. I am sorry I could not speak to you, but Indra informed me about what is going on," To her credit, Luna did sound apologetic and it eased Clarke's worries that Luna already knew what was bugging her. Someone had probably filled her in.

Clarke decided to not push the issue for now. She still had to tell Luna that Madi was here, but there was no easy way of doing that without Luna's reaction being an indicator to Madi's importance. If Clarke could speak to Luna after the dinner, it would do them both a world of good.

It was then that Lexa made her entrance. She was dressed in comfortable clothes and it was a bit jarring for Clarke to see Lexa in more casual clothes. Clarke had almost always seen Lexa in armour so that was the reason Clarke followed her from the door until she stopped in front of her seat.

Lexa's gaze settled on her first and under the candlelight, her eyes seemed to sparkle. They stared at each for a bit longer before finally, Clarke looked away. Lexa was still standing and she made a quick motion with one of her hands.

A metal bottle was drawn to her hand and Lexa caught it deftly before handing it to Titus. Lexa looked around the table and again her eyes lingered on Clarke before snapping back to Ontari.

"Is Nia not coming?"

"She was not feeling hungry, Heda," Ontari said causing Lexa to nod.

"Please fill their chalices, Titus. I'd like to propose a toast."

Titus accepted the bottle and Clarke watched him as he went around serving what looked like wine. Clarke knew that grapes were a somewhat rare commodity and it was found most commonly in Podakru and Ouskejon territory. It was going to be her first try of the drink and she felt like she would need it to get through the dinner.

Titus finally got to Clarke and he bumped into her chair rather heavily before muttering an apology. Clarke did not respond, but she turned towards Luna who had a wide smile as she looked straight ahead.

Finally, Titus finished off by pouring Lexa a drink who then raised her chalice, "To keeping the peace our ancestors have fought for."

The generals raised their chalices before as one they all took a drink of the wine. Clarke was a bit slower, but she followed suit. The wine smelled amazing, but the taste was a lot more bitter than Clarke had been expecting.

A slight grimace was on her face as she out her chalice down and as Lexa gave the go-ahead for the food to be eaten, Clarke knew she was not going to touch her wine again. Clarke took a few slices of meat and a few spoonfuls of some vegetables.

A rather casual conversation settled over the table and Clarke found she was able to eat her food in peace even as the others around her engaged in conversation. Clarke thought she would go the whole night without having to say much, but that changed as Luna brought her into a conversation.

"You haven't touched your wine since the beginning, Clarke," Luna said and Clarke was sure that Luna knew Clarke hated the taste of it.

"It's not really for me," Clarke said glaring lightheartedly at Luna whose smile only grew wider in response.

"If the wine is not up to your taste then feel free to ask for something else," Lexa said and it was the first thing Lexa had said since her toast at the beginning, "What do you prefer? A juice?"

"Uh, sure," Clarke said caught off guard by how...mundane the conversation was, "Any fruit will do."

A handmaiden walked off presumably to fulfil the request and Clarke could not help, but feel a bit awkward. Clarke still had issues with how everything had gone down at the Mountain, but she had put those away.

This awkwardness stemmed more from how she and Lexa had never had a conversation that wasn't about serious matters. They had always spoken about the Mountain Men or the generals or other heavy stuff. It was an unexpected change of pace.

A handmaiden came with a jug of juice and a new chalice that she placed next to Clarke. Clarke thanked the woman before taking a sip of the juice. This was far more enjoyable and Clarke could not help, but take a second, deeper sip.

"Thank you," Clarke said to Lexa who paused for a second before nodding.

Clarke was about to return to her plate when Titus decided to speak and it was a question which caught the attention of the room.

"Wanheda, if you would be so kind, could enlighten us to your whereabouts for the past year?"

The atmosphere of the room seemed to thicken as it fell into silence. Clarke was not sure what Titus had against her, but it was growing more and more exhausting as it went on.

"I don't see how that's relevant right now," Clarke said looking him in the eyes, "I am not in the Coalition. I am not one of your soldiers to command. I'll tell if and when it's important."

"Does that sound like the words of someone with nothing to hide, Heda?" Titus said as he kept his eyes on Clarke, "She clearly cannot be–"

"Titus, know your place," Lexa said after slamming her fist onto the table, "You may be the flamekeeper, but that does not give you the power to question my guest as you please."

"I apologise, Heda," Titus said his voice a touch more subdued. Clarke had had enough, though, and she was only barely able to stop herself from going off on a tirade.

Instead, she put down her utensils before rising to her feet. She pushed her chair in before walking out of the room. Clarke chose to walk to her room instead of using a portal and by the time she arrived she had not cooled down at all.

Clarke slammed the door behind her and she simply stood in the centre of her room as she tried to compose herself. It took her a few minutes, but soon she was able to slow her breathing.

This had been one of the most stressful weeks, Clarke had had in a long while. From the attack by those strangers in cloaks to her friends going missing to constantly having he every move and action analyzed, Clarke could feel her patience wearing thin. The only silver lining was that she had managed to not offend anyone except maybe for Titus. That barely cheered Clarke up.

It was made even worse when she realised she had not organised to speak with Luna after dinner. The potential doom of Skaikru hung over Clarke's head as well as the fact that someone was impersonating her and killing people. Was that some sort of power? Or was this all just a hoax to begin with to lure her out?

It was all getting too much and so when Clarke heard a knock on the door she reacted with far more aggression than appropriate.

"What?" Clarke said expecting it to be one of the generals or even Lexa or Luna, but it was none of those people.

"Costia?"

"So it is true," Costia said as she stepped into Clarke's room. Clarke turned as she watched Costia take a look around the room.

"This is one the nicest rooms in the tower," Costia said as she looked around, "Fitting you would be put here."

Clarke closed the door partially as she turned fully towards Costia, "What are you doing here? It's good to see you're looking healthier than before, but this seems a bit..."

"Random?" Costia said as she fiddled with a trinket on a table, "I suppose you'd think so. It's been what seven months since we saw each other?"

"Nine."

"My bad. Perhaps my sense of time is still off after trading prisons."

"Costia," Clarke said causing the other woman to stand up straight, "Why are you here?"

"I heard you were in Polis and I just wanted to thank you again for saving me," Costia said as she faced Clarke, "I gave up all hope. I really thought I would have died an old woman in there if they didn't kill me before I got old anyways."

Costia was wearing a dress that looked a lot more comfortable than the tattered clothes she had worn in the Mountain. Costia seemed to sense Clarke's eyes on her as she smiled brightly. She stepped right up to Clarke and her voice was a whisper as she spoke.

"Let me thank you."

Costia wrapped her hands around Clarke's neck before pulling her into a kiss. This was different from Niylah's kiss just a few nights ago despite being just as one-sided. Costia seemed to be almost desperate as she pushed herself up against Clarke and moved her hands up and down Clarke's sides.

Clarke raised her hands to Costia's hips as she tried to push the other woman away. Before she could apply any real force, though, a cough drew their attention. Costia took a step back from Clarke who felt panic rise up in her at who stood in the doorway.

Lexa held Clarke's plate and her chalice of juice from earlier and her face looked as though she had been struck. Clarke pushed her hands off Costia and turned towards Lexa.

"This isn't–"

"Any of my business," Lexa said as she walked inside and placed the objects in her hand down, "Luna said she cannot meet with you right now as she has to speak with Sagan from Trishana. A handmaiden will bring your breakfast and the tribunal will begin at twelve."

Lexa didn't even look at Costia and she only looked at Clarke momentarily as she walked past the two of them. A lone tear trailing down her eye.

"Enjoy your night."

As quickly as she came, Lexa was gone and Clarke had no idea how to react. There was about half a minute of silence before Costia took a step towards Clarke.

However, this time Clarke knew what was coming and she raised her hand to stop Costia, "What is wrong with you? Lexa is your partner. She _loves_ you. Why would you throw that away?"

Why throw away something so many people desperately wanted? Something that Clarke desperately wanted.

"She left me to rot in a mountain for years," Costia said her eyes displaying a cold anger, "She mobilised an attack force before abandoning it and leaving me in there again."

"She doesn't love me. She never has," Costia said a mix of anger and disgust in her voice, "She cast me aside twice. All those years ago and then again at the Mountain. She was going to cut me in half all those months ago if you did not stop her."

"I got captured because she was too busy running from clan to clan."

"I won't give myself to someone who cares so little for the people they say they love," Costia said as she looked back towards the table, "She thinks I'm blind, but I see everything."

"She deserves the same amount of pain I went through in that Mountain," Costia said before a bitter laugh escaped her, "She feels so guilty about it too, but that isn't enough. I say when it's enough and–"

A crack echoed through the room as Clarke dented the wall with a punch. Her psionic energy was streaming off of her in waves of blue as she spoke two simple words.

"Get. Out."

Costia was frozen by fear before Clarke made a half step towards her. Instantly, she fled the room and Clarke was finally left to her own devices.

She dispelled the psionic energy and even with the rage and confusion swirling inside her Clarke only had a few words to say as she collapsed against the door.

"What the fuck is wrong with this place?"

* * *

**Podakru - Lake Clan**

**Sankru - Desert Clan**

**Louwoda Kilron - Shallow Valley**

* * *

**Author Notes:**

**Well, then. That started a bit slow before turning off into crazyville and this was just the preamble to the meeting.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and please tell me what you thought of it. **


	21. Fallacy

**Wow, it's been a while since an update, eh? **

**This is 11K words. The longest chapter in a while. I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Clarke had not slept peacefully after the events of the previous day. A flirty Akeri, antagonist Titus and well whatever you called Costia and Lexa's behaviour did not make for a good night's rest.

It wasn't as bad as the terrors she'd had on Luna's rig, but it was filled with constant tossing and turning. She still felt ready to go, thankfully, and she needed to be ready.

Today was the day of the tribunal. The issues plaguing the clans had mostly been danced around. At least in Clarke's presence that was. There was going to be no dancing around the topic today.

The accusations were very serious. Clarke knew it would be a mission to convince the generals of her innocence. Some of them were probably itching for a fight as it stood like Livia and Quint who she had humiliated in front of hundreds of people.

They struck Clarke as the type of people who would jump at the opportunity to repair whatever damage she had done to their ego. It was a bit of leap, but Clarke could not and would not dismiss anything.

Someone wanted Clarke and Skaikru gone. That much was clear. And they were willing to attack their own allies to do it. It was a conspiracy that spread further than Clarke could see.

The people that attacked them at the Mountain could easily be impostors. Trikru and Azgeda almost never worked together and that in itself had to be a hint at something larger at play.

But what was it?

There was a knock at Clarke's door and she rose quickly to her feet before opening the door. A handmaiden held a tray of food and she smiled at Clarke as she stood in the doorway.

"Breakfast is served, Skaifaya," the woman said and Clarke took the tray from her, "Heda wanted me to tell you that your party is free to explore the city during the meeting. You may pick two people to attend as well."

The handmaiden bowed before she was gone. Clarke kicked the door close before placing the tray of food down. There were eggs, slices of bread and fruits which made for a very filling meal. Clarke hadn't realised how hungry she had been until she began eating.

Clarke poured herself a glass of juice and she was pleasantly surprised that it still tasted great. It had been left standing the whole night, but it had kept its flavour surprisingly well. Clarke finished off her first glass and was about to pour herself another when there was another knock at her door.

Clarke didn't quite feel like walking to the door so instead, she called out to the door, "Come in."

The door opened to reveal Luna who was already fully dressed including her facepaint. The oceanic blue framed her eyes in a series of flowing lines and shapes. Luna closed the door behind her and sat down at the table with Clarke.

"Nice room," Luna said as she looked around, "The other generals would be very jealous."

"So I've heard," Clarke said with a slight smile before it faded away, "I'm scared, Luna."

Luna looked at Clarke silently encouraging her to explain. Clarke took a few moments to compose herself before speaking.

"I feel like the generals won't be content with a simple explanation," Clarke said finally breaking the silence, "There's a group out there that tried to recruit me. I know I'm not the only one to have gotten an offer and then there's the attack at the Mountain..."

Luna grabbed Clarke's hands in her own which served to calm Clarke down, "Listen, Clarke. You're not in this alone. Indra, Lexa and I all firmly believe you. Rest assured that if we do go to war, Skaikru will not be in it alone."

It was mystifying how Luna could calm Clarke down so easily. It wasn't the first time and Clarke had a feeling it wouldn't be the last either. Clarke could not be more grateful to Luna for the past few months. Clarke wasn't sure where her head would be at if it weren't for Luna.

"We need to get you ready," Luna said causing Clarke to nod, "You can handle your clothes, right? Use your conversion power to make yourself something decent. Do that after you take a bath, though. That meeting room gets hot quickly so you'll want to be fresh when you get in there."

"I have to tell you something," Clarke said, but she was pushed away from Luna. It was about Madi and it was a conversation they probably should have been having earlier.

"Go get ready first."

Clarke saw there was no point in arguing so she went into the attached bathroom to clean herself up. Clarke opened both taps and to her surprise the water filling into the tub was hot.

How was this even possible?

Perfect plumbing with heated water was the last thing she had expected to find in Polis. There _had_ to be an explanation for how some technology seemed to survive the wars.

It was something she had realised with how the Grounders, at least Trikru and Floukru, seemed to have an amazing knowledge of various herbs and plants. It could have been trial and error, but particularly in Trikru, there seemed to be extensive knowledge on them.

The knowledge was probably passed down verbally, but even then a lot of knowledge would be lost. Especially with more complex matters and yet the Grounders in TonDC had built an arena.

Logically, someone had to have been guiding its construction, but even then who could it have been?

That could wait for later. Clarke closed the taps and she was relieved to see a variety of soaps and towels available for use. This room was probably used a lot for important visitors. It hadn't taken long to realise the tower was a hotel before the apocalypse.

Clarke stripped off her clothes before getting into the tub. She just soaked for a while allowing the water to soothe her muscles before she began to bathe herself. The soap she chose was smooth to the touch and had an understated yet pleasing, flowery scent.

Clarke eventually finished washing up and after drying up she picked up a few towels. Her power to convert matter was a godsend in times like this. Of course, she had actually stolen it from Diana, but that was neither here nor there.

A few minutes later, Clarke was wearing the clothes she had worn before her bath. The only difference was the silver pieces of armour attached to her arms and shins. It was very similar to what she had worn during her gauntlet against the generals just in silver instead.

It could be seen as antagonistic, but in reality, Clarke wanted to show she would not be intimidated. She did still feel nervous, but speaking with Luna had done a lot to quell that for the most part.

Clarke's hair was still a bit wet and she had converted the last remaining towels into her armour. She sighed before raising her hands in front of her. She moved her hands in circular motions and, slowly but surely, her hair began to dry as she moved the water out of it.

She walked out of the room after drying her hair and she was surprised to see Luna was still in the room. She was holding something in her hand and upon closer inspection, Clarke saw that it was black facepaint in a jar.

"No," Clarke said eyeing the jar, "I'm not putting that on my face."

"You really should," Luna said as she motioned towards what Clarke was wearing, "You are obviously trying to remind them of your gauntlet. You should go all the way."

"Fine," Clarke said, but as she looked around the room she realised another problem, "There's no mirror in here."

"I'll do it," Luna said as she moved Clarke towards a chair, "Close your eyes."

Clarke sighed, but she sat down on the chair before closing her eyes, "You remember what it is, right? Two solid shapes over my eyes joined by a line and then–"

"Two inverted triangles on your cheeks," Luna said with a hint of exasperation, "Let me give you a new one. The patterns usually have meaning."

"Usually?"

"Azgeda's patterns mean nothing," Luna said and Clarke could hear the other woman moving behind her, "They use their scars instead. The more intricate the scarring, the higher the prestige of a warrior."

Clarke could sense a bit of discomfort in Luna's tone and she completely understood. The scars were jarring and would have hurt a lot to apply. Perhaps that was the whole point. The scars had deeper meanings, but they were also meant to intimidate others.

"So what meaning will mine have?" Clarke said as she felt Luna begin to braid her hair.

"Be patient."

Clarke sighed but did not say anything else. A feeling of happiness followed by unease came over her as she recalled memories of braiding Madi's hair on the rig.

Luna probably wouldn't be rather put out that they had brought Madi to Polis, but Clarke preferred to have Madi near to her and surrounded by people who could actually take care of themselves in a fight. With half of the delinquents being MIA and the other half here in Polis, that made Madi the strongest person in Arkadia.

That was not a good idea.

Clarke wasn't sure how long it took, but she opened her eyes as soon as Luna moved away from Clarke's hair and sat down in front of her. Clarke could feel that there was something wrapping around her hair and she was sure it was a braid acting as a band of sorts to keep her hair in check.

"Hold still. This won't take long. Close your eyes."

Clarke obeyed Luna's command and there was a pause before she felt Luna's fingers rub over her eyelids in circles. It was a bit uncomfortable, but Clarke managed not to move as the paint was applied to her eyes.

The feeling of unease about Madi's whereabouts increased even as Clarke felt Luna apply three vertical stripes extending from near her hairline continuing over her left eye and stopping at her cheek. It was a similar motion to an animal making claw marks on a surface.

"Open your eyes," Luna said and Clarke did as Luna asked. She looked down and she was surprised to see the black facepaint had turned purple. Luna had probably copied her matter conversion.

"Luna," Clarke said a small amount of trepidation in her voice as she looked into her friend's eyes, "I need to tell you something."

"I am almost done," Luna said as she dipped her thumb into the paint, "I need you to be quiet for this part."

Without further ado, Luna dragged her thumb over Clarke's cheek applying a horizontal stripe of purple paint. Clarke's eyes flitted over towards Luna's, but she was more focused on applying the paint.

Luna applied an identical stripe below the first after reapplying some paint. The action was at once both innocent and intimate. The sparks Luna's touch elicited caused Clarke no small amount of conflict.

Luna seemed to sense how tense Clarke's body was and after applying a third stripe her hand lingered on Clarke's face. Her hand cupped Clarke's face and she was barely able to meet Luna's deep brown.

"If things go wrong," Clarke said her voice barely above a whisper, "It's all my fault. I should have joined the Coalition and I should have stayed at Arkadia. None of this would have happened. I was just so ashamed and I had to leave..."

Clarke's gaze had fallen from Luna's as she stared down at her feet. The weight of her sins having returned gradually over the past few days. It had been easier to ignore it when on the rig, but now she could never go back to the rig.

She was the Chancellor now. She had to see the families and friends of the Mountainers she had killed. She had to see the faces of the Arkers who had been killed or abducted at the Mountain.

She may have to lead Skaikru into war.

It had been so selfish of her to leave. She had been given the Novus because she was the most worthy, but Clarke felt like she wasn't worth anything. Wherever she went, she made mistakes and the massacre of the Mount Weather citizens was exactly the same.

"Do you really think so little of Madi and me?" Luna said causing Clarke to snap her head back up, "You said you wished you never left. If it were not for you, Madi would be dead or worse. "

"That's–"

"Let me finish," Luna said placing her hands on Clarke's shoulders, "For all your power, you are still just human. You have many qualities. Smart, brave, kind, but you're still just one person. You cannot shoulder the worries of the world along with your own."

"I'm sorry," Clarke said smoothing her pants down with her hands, "I'm so glad I've met you and Madi. You both really mean a lot to me, but I still owe it to my people to be there for them. I have to think about them before myself. That's why I was given these powers. I killed hundreds of innocents and–"

The confession nearly spilt from Clarke's lips, but she managed to cut herself off. It had been easy to ignore for months now, but with her friends missing it was impossible to ignore.

The Grounders had not even hesitated before storming the Mountain. They had moved through the mazy hallways without making a single mistake. The Azgeda warrior who had attacked them had looked right at the camera.

Furthermore, the forest fire was accelerated by hydrazine which could only come from the Ark stations and even then it was near impossible to store safely. The focus on the delinquents and Clarke herself was even more damning.

There had to be a third party working with the assailants. Someone who knew the Mountain in and out. Someone who had it out for Skaikru and especially for Clarke herself. There were only two people that fit all those descriptions.

Cage Wallace and Lorelei Tsing were still alive.

It shamed Clarke how easily she had allowed them to run free. She had not told anyone and it had not been brought up to her. Everyone likely assumed they were one of the unrecognisable corpses that were scattered across the Mountain.

They had no reason to believe a core part of their enemies from Mount Weather was still alive and likely aiding their enemies. It was the same mistake Clarke had made with Diana who was still at large.

A faint, cold feeling of amusement emanated from deep within Clarke's mind and that was the straw that broke the camel's back.

"I'm–" Clarke began struggling with her words, but she calmed down when she felt Luna's hand trace her chin and lift her gaze from the floor.

The simple action at one caused Clarke immense amounts of joy and anguish. Luna lowered her hand and Clarke could see the woman was waiting on her to finish. Luna was sitting with her back straight and, just like Clarke herself, seemed to be taking deep and slow breaths.

"Madi's here," Clarke felt rather terrible at using Madi to change the topic (especially since she should have told Luna earlier) but it worked masterfully. The air changed and Luna's face settled into a frown.

"Take me to her."

Luna's tone wasn't exactly mad, but Clarke was sure she'd be able to smooth things out once they sorted things out.

"Let's go."

* * *

Clarke had a decision to make.

Madi and Luna had greeted each other with a warm hug. Madi had given Clarke one as well, but Clarke hadn't been quite able to match the enthusiasm that Madi seemed to exude.

Thankfully, Madi hadn't seemed to notice, but Clarke was sure at least one of Bellamy, Octavia and Raven had noticed her anxiety. Luna definitely had noticed. No one brought it up just yet however due to more pressing issues.

"They only want two of us?" Octavia asked her tone relaying her anger, "They outnumber us 12 to 1. It should be all of us. Who knows what they'll do?"

Clarke wasn't quite sure if it was deliberate by Octavia to put Floukru with the others, but it seemed to put Luna on edge. It was also a sentiment Bellamy and Raven seemed to share.

The suspicion and distrust in the air seemed to make the table they were sitting around smaller.

"Not all of the clans are quick to attack," Clarke said in a bid to calm Luna down, "We won't let things go that far. The Commander isn't so militant. I'm sure she'll listen to reason."

"The same one who left you at the Mountain?" Bellamy snorted and Luna's glare seemed to wash off of him.

"Yes," Clarke said after a moment's pause, "She did do that. I haven't forgotten, but that's not important right now. Someone has their sights on us and I'm willing to bet they're working with some of the generals."

"How much power do generals have?" Raven asked, "Can they really orchestrate a war without their leader's input?"

"A fair few of the leaders aren't quite as strong as they used to be," Luna said as she traced the grooves in the table, "It's not uncommon for a general to succeed the leader. It happened to me and Indra. Some generals...usurp the seat of the leader. Nia was a general before killing the previous leader of Azgeda."

"Wouldn't that cause a rebellion?" Octavia asked putting aside her slight animosity for Luna, "People wouldn't really let someone elect themselves to the throne like that. Skaikru–"

"Did the exact same thing," Clarke said cutting Octavia off, "First, Kane took control from Jaha and then me from Kane. Not a single vote was cast both times. I've fought Ontari. If Nia is strong enough to keep Ontari in line then no one would dare move against her rebellion."

Octavia had the decency to look a bit embarrassed. The girl still tended to say the wrong thing at the wrong time and it showed that she still had some of her volatile nature even after all this time.

"Back to the bodyguard issue," Luna said drawing everyone's attention, "The most important thing is that Madi absolutely cannot be there."

Luna's tone seemed to imply that she knew something they didn't. Clarke was sure she wasn't going to like it. Madi was seated right next to Luna at the table and her earlier joy had faded away completely.

Luna grabbed Madi's hand in her own as if to comfort her which sent alarm bells ringing for Clarke.

"Titus can sense if someone's a nightblood, " Luna said causing Clarke's stomach to drop, "It doesn't work over great distances, but it would be best if Madi had an escort that stayed away from the tower for the day."

Clarke closed her eyes for a second before sighing, "Okay, I've got it. Octavia, you and Lincoln got attacked by two warriors from different clans and Raven got attacked by another three. Your words will hold the most weight."

"So I'm stuck on babysitting duty?" Bellamy asked and there was a hint of annoyance in his voice. Clarke wasn't too irked by the comment because she knew Bellamy wanted to be with them in case anything happened.

Unfortunately, Luna didn't seem to understand that.

"You will be _guarding_ Madi along with two of my own warriors," Luna said her tone a fair bit colder than Clarke was used to, "If anything happens to her–"

"Nothing will happen to her," Clarke said laying her hand down on Luna's arm, "Bellamy is very strong and you can trust him to do his job."

Clarke was sure Luna was still a bit mad at Clarke for bringing Madi to Polis, but her hands were tied. Madi, on her own, was stronger than anyone currently in Arkadia, but even then it was foolish to tempt fate.

The Azgeda teleporter or the man who controlled the shadows, Atari, could break in and out of Arkadia with ease. Bellamy had almost beaten the Azgeda woman before and given a second chance Clarke was sure he would prevail.

"We can do this," Clarke said looking at everyone around the table, "Even if things don't work out the way we've planned, I'll figure out how to fix all of this."

That was a promise.

* * *

"You are the reason over thirty Coalition villages have been burnt to the ground."

Clarke stood in perfect silence as she was flanked by Raven and Octavia. The collection of warriors in front of her were stony in their disposition. The sole exception seemed to be Luna who looked a bit apologetic as well as Livia, the Ingronarona or Plain Riders general, whose face was twisted in anger.

Clarke had beaten her quite easily during the gauntlet and it was surely a blow to the woman's pride. She had probably leapt at the chance to get her revenge at Clarke either by framing her or going after her for the attacks on the Coalition.

The official hearing had begun not too long ago. The generals had been given the chance to air their grievances and Livia had been the one elected to step up to the plate.

"I had nothing to do with any of those attacks," Clarke said staring down Livia before looking at the rest of the generals. The generals were all dressed in their facepaint and to Clarke's surprise included amongst them was Ontari.

Clarke had expected Ontari to be replaced by Nia, but the ice queen was nowhere to be seen. Lexa was here as well, of course, but Clarke didn't let her eyes linger on the Commander for too long. Aside from the guards to the generals and Lexa, Titus was the only other person in the room and he stood somewhere behind Clarke.

"If that were true," Livia pressed on, "Why was your face seen at many of these attacks? Few, if any, people have mastery over fire like you. You elected to not join the Coalition and disappeared from Arkadia for months on end."

"Perhaps you sought vengeance for being left at the Mountain," Livia said her tone holding a slight amount of mockery to it, "You already massacred hundreds of Maunon and Ripas. It would only be a matter of time before a monster like you set your gaze elsewhere."

Octavia took a step forward, but Clarke raised a hand to keep her back. The others in the room had responded in kind as the tension in the room ramped up. Livia seemed nonplussed by it all as she smirked at Clarke.

"Stand down," Lexa said and after a few seconds of pause the first of her people stood down. The last to sit down was Ontari whose faced was now set in an ugly smirk.

"Chancellor, you may continue."

Clarke nodded at Lexa who by all accounts appeared unfazed by everything so far. It was almost as if Lexa had forgotten that she walked in Clarke and Costia together.

Clarke hadn't told anyone about it just yet, but she intended to speak to Lexa and Costia about it. Separately, of course. There was some bad blood between the two and now Clarke was caught in the middle of it all.

"Thank you," Clarke said before folding her arms, "I am not responsible for any of those attacks. Yes, I held some...anger for being left to fight the Maunon alone, but that is in the past. I didn't spend my time wandering from place to place after leaving Arkadia."

"So where did you go?" Erid asked and the Sankru general's tone turned mocking, "To find the City of Light? That would make two Skaikru leaders running around the desert, correct?"

A few of the generals seemed to relish in Erid's words about Jaha's foolish foray. The exception seemed to be Luna and Indra which was reassuring. The Trikru leader seemed to be rather annoyed by Erid's more than anything.

"No," Clarke said choosing not to react to Erid's words she glanced over at Luna who nodded minutely, "I was actually living in Floukru territory for the past few months where I was welcomed with open arms."

That had not been what the generals were expecting to hear. A few questions were fired at her at the same time, but a motion from Lexa silenced them all.

Clarke could see that Lexa appeared rather surprised by this revelation which was weird. She'd expected Indra to have mentioned it to Lexa by now. As it were, the generals seemed to be torn between looking at Clarke or at Luna.

"Is this true, Luna?" Lexa asked not even turning to face the other woman. Luna rose from her seat and walked over to stand next to Clarke.

"It is," Luna said ignoring the murmurs that her words invoked, "I happened upon Wanheda near one of our beaches and we... reached an agreement. She has been by my side for months on end and I assure you it is impossible for Clarke to be responsible for what happened in your villages."

Livia seemed to be put out by this as she turned to Luna, "Are you calling us liars? In case you don't know, Indra has already scanned our memories and those of multiple other witnesses."

"No," Clarke said taking charge of the conversation, "I believe someone within the Coalition wants to destroy it."

If the burst of activity after Octavia took offence to Livia's words was a spark then this was a bonfire. All the generals and their guards leapt out their seat. There was a cacophony of screams and insults and so on, but there was only one person stupid enough to leap forward and attack.

It was Quint, the Yujleda general who like so many of his peers had a bone to pick with Clarke. He rushed Clarke, but she was well aware of his every move. She raised her hand and was about to fire a psionic blast when Quint stopped dead in his tracks silencing the room.

His body was frozen in his rushing position. The dagger he held onto twitched minutely along with every muscle in his body. A drop of blood began to leak out his nose and Clarke was barely able to hear him speak.

"H-Heda...why?"

It was then and only then that Clarke looked at Lexa. Her pose mirrored Clarke's own, but her hand was slightly curled up. Her face seemed to be the picture of fury as she stared down at Quint.

"Clarke is a guest of mine," Lexa said and her hand curled up, even more, causing Quint to let out a deep groan. The blood leaking from his nose seemed to have increased as well leaving red spots on the floor.

"You'd do well to treat her as such."

"I-I apologise, Heda," Quint said and when his situation did not change he flitted his eyes over to Clarke. They were extremely bloodshot and tears were threatening to leak from his eyes. His blood vessels and veins were bulging across his body and they seem to get bigger as time went on.

"I apologise, Wanheda."

The invisible chains holding Quint disappeared. He collapsed in a heap landing hard on the cold floor. He still seemed to be reeling from the pain, but he would be able to continue.

Quint staggered to his feet and by the time he had made it to his seat, the room had been cowed into submission. Luna remained by Clarke's side, but after a wordless conversation, she too returned to her seat.

"Indra and Luna," Lexa said causing the two to perk up, "I want to see if what Clarke says is true. Begin the memory transfer."

The two generals seemed to obey without hesitation. Indra took Luna's hand in her own and it was a bit surreal watching it from a third person's perspective.

Indra and Luna's eyes seemed to close in unison and there was a bit of awkward silence as Indra did her thing. It took maybe thirty seconds before they stepped back from each other. Far longer than when Clarke had done the same with Indra. Luna had probably shown a few months worth of stuff to Indra.

Indra walked over to Lexa and for the first time, Clarke realised Lexa may see how close Clarke and Luna had gotten. It felt wrong almost to let someone see what should have been private, but Clarke quelled that thought.

Luna would have known to not show anything too private. The question would be whether Indra would show Lexa Clarke's memory. Clarke did not know the Trikru leader well enough to even guess if she would.

Finally, Lexa opened her eyes as Indra stepped away. Her green gaze stared right at Clarke and there was something of a burning intensity to it. The gathered warriors waited with bated breath until finally, Lexa spoke.

"Chancellor Clarke is innocent," Lexa said and she raised a hand to cut off any protests, "I trust Indra with my life. Luna is also one of my closest friends. Their memories are more than enough proof that Clarke has been framed by someone."

"Heda, please," It was the first time Titus had spoken throughout the meeting, "There is no incentive to frame Wanheda for these crimes. I ask you to reconsider your decision. Skaikru are not to be trusted."

Clarke heard Octavia mutter something under her breath, but she was otherwise silent. Raven had been very quiet all this time which she was grateful for. It probably wasn't easy for Raven to be in the same room as the person who had called for Finn's death.

As if to confirm her suspicions, Clarke glanced at Raven whose expression seemed stormy as she stared at Lexa. Clarke had no idea how long Raven had been like nor if anyone had noticed, but it was too late for that now.

For one scary moment, Lexa stared right at Raven before turning her gaze to Titus.

"Do you doubt Indra, Titus?" Lexa's voice was cool as she stared at Titus.

"No–"

"Do you doubt Luna?" This time Titus' face seemed to twist and it was caught by virtually everyone in the room.

"So it is Luna you doubt," Lexa said as she rose to her feet, "Why? Do you think she's weak? Unfit to be a leader or is it because she is from my class of novitiates? You called for death for weeks once I had ascended. I told you to drop it."

Lexa rose from her seat and the hair on Clarke's body seemed to stand on end. The prickly sensation was not a coincidence as Lexa seemed to reveal another one of her powers.

Lightning travelled around Lexa's body and her hair flowed wildly as she stared at Titus, "Either you doubt Luna _or_ you doubt _me_?"

"Which is it?"

Titus seemed to have been cowed by Lexa's display and his muttered words were clear as day, "I apologise for my words, Heda. Tradition has always stated that only one novitiate may survive the Conclave. As a flamekeeper–"

"Silence," Lexa said cutting Titus off, "I told you multiple times to let go of your hatred for Luna, but it seems you are unable to do so. If we blindly follow tradition, we will never evolve. I see you still wish for the old ways. With the generals as my witness, you have been stripped of your rank as Flamekeeper."

"I shall choose a new keeper from the Order of the Flame," Lexa said her words seeming to suck the life out of Titus, "Thank you for your service, teacher."

It was a rather harsh and abrupt action that seemed to silence everyone in the room. Clarke wasn't quite so sure why Lexa had been so drastic until it dawned on her. Lexa must have believed her about the treachery.

If clans were on the fence or even fully against Lexa, she would have to show a strong front to tip the scales in her favour. That would probably explain the rather harsh way she had halted Quint's attack.

Clarke had initially thought Lexa had used her magnetic powers to stop Quint. However, the bulging veins all over his body, as well as the blood dripping from his nose, removed that idea.

Lexa could control blood.

It was garish and horrifying, but undeniable. Clarke could only imagine the pain Quint had been under. To have your own blood turned as a weapon against you. It was the highest form of irony and seemed to make Lexa's suit her full title even more.

Commander of the Blood indeed.

"Everyone, you are dismissed," Lexa said as the lightning around her slowly faded away, "Clarke, please remain behind."

There was something of a rush to get out the doors. Neither the generals nor their bodies even so much as moved towards Clarke as they shuffled out. The last to leave were Raven and Octavia and it was the latter who spoke to Clarke.

"We'll be with Bellamy in the meanwhile," Octavia said and Clarke nodded and smiled gratefully.

"Thank you."

Soon, the doors were closing leaving behind the two women. The tension in the room hadn't dissipated all that much or at the very least it felt that way to Clarke. She was still unsure of how much Lexa knew and that made choosing her words a bit tricky.

"Why'd you have me stay behind?" Clarke settled on simply going for broke. Lexa settled her gaze on Clarke's and she remained silent for a few moments before speaking.

"What evidence do you have of there being treason?" Lexa said answering Clarke's question with a question of her own.

"I was given the option to join the traitors," Clarke said causing Lexa to blink a few times in surprise, "I was on an errand for Luna."

"You said no."

It was a statement by Lexa not a question and Clarke confirmed her thoughts with a nod. Lexa seemed to lean back in her chair and she averted her gaze turning her body away as she did so.

"Why?"

Lexa's tone was far less severe than any other time Clarke had heard it in Polis or practically any other time. The only other time her voice had been so...mellow was when they had been alone before the Mountain.

Just like this.

"It wasn't for you," Clarke said, but she bit he tongue at how confrontational that sounded, "Not entirely. I'd made a promise to not join the Coalition. That included the problems you faced."

Lexa had not quite been able to hide her reactions from Clarke. The quick lurch backwards followed by a slight sag in her posture. As easy as Clarke was to read, according to Luna anyways, she had a sharp eye herself.

She just didn't know what to make of all those small reactions.

"You wanted to be a part of the Coalition at some stage," Lexa said as she seemed intent on digging up their short and yet complicated history.

"I did," Clarke conceded before frowning, "When I thought I could trust you."

"I know," Lexa said her voice barely above a whisper, "Yet you still stayed with who you had to know was one of my closest generals."

The unasked question hung in the air. Why? Why had she stayed with Luna for the past few months knowing that she was close to Lexa? On some level, Clarke was sure that Lexa knew the answer.

"She's a good person," Clarke said causing Lexa to sit up slightly, "I couldn't stay in Arkadia after what I'd done at the Mountain. Luna and I got off to a rough start, but I could see the rig was different from everywhere I'd seen on Earth. And it was Luna's creation, after some time I thought I could throw away the sins of my past like everyone else there."

"It is not easy to forgive yourself. Especially when the ones who you should be getting forgiveness from are already gone forever."

"It's not," Clarke agreed and it was clear that Lexa was not just speaking about Clarke in that instance.

"Luna thinks very highly of you," Lexa said and Clarke noted that her hands were gripping the arms of her throne, "And of Madi too."

To her mild surprise, Clarke was not surprised Lexa knew about Madi. The girl had spent a lot of time next to Clarke and it would have been suspicious if Luna left out the majority of their time together on the rig.

It still made her uncomfortable.

"I won't make Madi join the novitiate class," Lexa said, "Luna and I are living proof of what scars that may leave on you and I think I owe you some measure of peace of mind."

Clarke wasn't sure why it happened. Perhaps she had been bottling her emotions over the past few months especially when it came to Lexa. She barely spoke about Lexa with Luna at all.

No more than their oath and the major happenings at the gauntlet and the Mountain. Nothing about the night in TonDC or their talk before the whole gauntlet. Or their time training at the river near Arkadia.

She'd let all those emotions, contrasting and confusing, simmer and boil, but with Lexa deliberately prodding at them, Clarke snapped.

"_Peace of mind_?" Clarke whispered under her breath, "You owe me peace of mind? That's bullshit, Lexa! You owe me so much more than that."

Clarke was barely able to keep her powers in check as she marched towards Lexa. She stopped a few feet away from Lexa. The distance acting as a buffer to prevent her from doing something she regretted.

Clarke glared down at Lexa her face twisted by her fury, "I rescued your mentor from Mount Weather. I beat your people's _mortal enemies_ on my own. I ended two centuries worth of slaughtering of innocents."

"I cured and returned Reapers to your people," Clarke said her voice beginning to break, "I killed hundreds of people. I returned the love of your life to you and all I asked was for some land and trading."

"I could have asked for so much more," Clarke said her voice gruff and low, "But I didn't. A part of me still cared about that stupid kiss in your tent. Even now, I–"

Clarke paused as she saw how Lexa's expression did not seem to change. It filled her with anger as the one topic that had been anathema to the both of them did not seem to elicit a reaction from Lexa. As if she didn't care.

"But I see you didn't care at all," Clarke said and this time she couldn't hold back her powers from manifesting. Bright red light rolled off of her and Clarke tried to ignore the dark whispers in her head as she stared at Lexa.

_It's all her fault._

"You just wanted to manipulate me," Clarke whispered as she stepped forward and grabbed onto Lexa by her cloak. Her hands gripped onto the material that made up Lexa's cloak and she pulled the taller woman to her feet.

_She wants to use you._

"You wanted to use me. Like a tool," Clarke whispered as she glared at Lexa words flowing from her mind rapidly, "My mind to beat the Mountain. My power to cow your enemies into submission."

_She wants to use **everything **you have._

Clarke pulled Lexa closer and they were so close Clarke could feel the warmth of Lexa's body as they were pressed up against each other.

Clarke noticed how Lexa's eyes were almost fully black and her cheeks reddened ever so slightly, "My body to–"

A stinging sensation erupted in Clarke's cheek and it took her a moment to realise Lexa had landed a slap to her face. Clarke took a step back and it was almost as if she had woken up from a trance.

Clarke wished she could take back what she had said, but before she could she was gripped by the shoulders. Clarke felt her world spin as she was spun around and pushed down into Lexa's throne.

Their positions from just over a minute ago were now inverted. It was Clarke who was leaning away from Lexa whose face was contorted in anguish. Lexa eliminated the little space between them as she crouched over Clarke.

"Do you think so little of me?" Lexa grit out as she loomed over Clarke. They were so close Clarke was able to detect a flowery scent that wafted off of Lexa. This had the added effect of further unbalancing Clarke who was frozen not by any physical means, but by the weight of Lexa's words.

Lexa reached into her shirt and pulled out a necklace. Clarke looked down at the pendant and she was surprised to see the ring she had given Lexa all those months ago.

The bright green was still identical to that of Lexa's eyes.

"You said you had your own as a reminder of those you failed and to stay true to yourself," Lexa said, "You said someone as wise as me wouldn't be foolish enough to give others happiness at the cost of my own."

"You were wrong," Lexa said her voice seeming to keep Clarke pinned down, "I will _always_ give up my happiness for that of my own people. It is my duty as Commander. Costia helped me realise that."

Clarke felt her curiosity spike at that. It was such a casual reference to the woman who had at one point been Lexa's driving force to maintain the Coalition.

"She wants nothing to do with me," Lexa said her voice so low it sent shivers down Clarke's spine, "She _hates_ me for not rescuing her. I left her in there and _you_ saved her. I almost killed her when you brought her back to me, but I stopped because _you_ protected her."

Clarke gulped as Lexa's mask crumbled away. The rigidity in her body faded away entirely even as the power and authority in her voice remained.

"She hates me," Lexa said, "She hates me so much for allowing her suffering to continue for so long. She told me this herself. She no longer wants or needs me."

"This necklace," Lexa said as she pointed to the ring, "It made me realise her pain and suffering was my fault so I gave her the best that I could offer her. She could...run around with whoever she desired as long as she was discreet."

A sick feeling formed in Clarke's stomach. It wasn't just from the revelation of Costia's words, but also by how Lexa had twisted Clarke's advice all those months ago. The ring served a constant reminder to the Commander of Clarke's words.

"I know she hasn't done so yet. It's not easy to escape the status of being my lover," Lexa said a wry smile on her face that quickly faded, "Until you were here. The way she kissed you...She wants you, Clarke. She _needs_ you."

"That is not important right now though," Lexa said and her voice seemed to have lost all the edge and grit it had held seconds earlier, "It hurts me deeply to admit this, but so long as we bring the traitors to light then you can rest assured I won't interfere with your relationship with Luna and Costia."

"Luna?"

The question had spilt from Clarke's mouth before she could stop it. It was filled with all the incredulity and confusion and understanding that Lexa's words invoked in her.

"I saw her memories of you, Clarke," Lexa said her voice low, "You mean a great deal to her. To both of them. If you asked her, she would probably come to an agreement with Costia–"

Lexa's rambling was cut off as Clarke slapped her. It stunned the older woman into silence and Clarke took charge of the conversation once more.

"I'm still mad at you for what happened at the Mountain," Clarke said rising out of the throne, "But this is bigger than that. You don't need to make yourself a martyr because of whatever guilt you're feeling."

"You did not know Costia was in the Mountain when you left me there," Clarke said causing Lexa to aver her gaze, "You made the decision to save your people from the Guardians and... it was the right decision."

Lexa looked back at Clarke at her words and her face was the picture of surprise. Lexa remained silent, however, and so Clarke continued to speak.

"I'll help you save the Coalition," Clarke said finally, "I've seen what a peaceful society is truly like when I was with Luna and I think it's something everyone should be able to enjoy."

Clarke's words were as genuine as they could be. She did want all the fighting and bloodshed to stop. Luna had managed to build a peaceful society on this cursed planet and it was one of the many things Clarke admired about her.

The same went for Lexa too even though Clarke could barely admit it to herself. Lexa had fought to build the Coalition and from the various horror stories of the past that the other Floukru people would tell her.

If they were to be believed then the time before Lexa's rule compared to now was like night and day. Lexa was willing to sacrifice her own needs for those of her people no matter how much it hurt her in the end. It was beyond selfless.

"You're a good Commander if not the best your people have seen," Clarke said as she held out her hand, "I'd be stupid to bet against you."

Lexa grabbed Clarke by the forearm as they performed the warrior's handshake. A physical confirmation of their pledge to work together. There was no need to draw blood to cement the alliance. Their understanding went beyond the physical.

The two of them were more similar than either of them would dare to admit, but it was that similarity that made the foundation of their renewed alliance stronger than before. Neither of them had much in the way of choices and this was for the best of their people.

"I'll need you to tell me which clans were involved in the attack on your people," Lexa said as she broke the handshake, "I will speak to the generals one at a time. We will reconvene after that to go over everything."

Maybe someday they could worry about what was best for themselves.

"Okay," Clarke said as she recalled the clans the assailants supposedly belonged to, "Their leader was a woman with Azgeda colours. She has the power to teleport. It's just like Anya..."

Maybe.

* * *

"Stay right next to me," Bellamy said to Madi who nodded immediately. The girl seemed to be content with looking at what Polis had to offer.

It was nicer than it had any right to be Bellamy thought.

He would have expected the capital of a militaristic people to have been less...beautiful. It wasn't traditionally beautiful like the cities before the end of the world or like those of ancient civilisations.

It was different. The buildings had signs of having been repaired and redone over the years. There were additions that did not fir the original architecture and all-in-all it was a bit patchwork. However, that was where the beauty lied.

The buildings still held the elegance of the pre-Ark era, but the Grounders had adjusted them to suit their needs. Tapestries hung from windows and there were new bronze statues of warriors and animals alongside weathered stone statues from ages ago.

The resiliency to hang on and not let their presence be ignored was something to be admired. It was something Bellamy had wished he had the freedom to do here on Earth.

He couldn't draw like Clarke or build stuff from scraps like Raven. Octavia seemed content with learning Trigedasleng from Lincoln. Bellamy had never had the time to learn a skill for pure leisure. The most he could get away was reading.

He read anything and everything he could get his hands on and Octavia had latched onto some of his stories. Those books were all long gone and on Earth, he had lost something he dearly cherished. It wasn't until Echo moved to Arkadia that he was able to find something fun to do

Whittling.

It had taken a while for him to land on that in particular though. Echo had first shown him to make a spear and then use one. She did the same with a bow and arrows. Soon, Bellamy gained an appreciation for wood carving.

There was an abundance of wood around Arkadia and perhaps more depressingly an abundance of knives as well. It was as simple as picking up a piece of wood and a knife and he was all set.

Kind off.

He wasn't anywhere good enough to make anything terribly special. His room was filled with various trinkets that he worked on intermittently. He hadn't really had much of anything until Echo noticed his little side project.

* * *

_"Ah damn," Bellamy muttered as he pressed his knife a bit too deep into the piece of wood he had found._

_He had gotten the admittedly optimistic idea of making a chessboard from scratch. It was...not going too well. The board was the easiest part. All he had needed to was bribe Raven into cutting a square board of wood for him with her technomorphing. He just had to handle the pieces._

_He was failing. Miserably._

_He had so far made five pawns none of them matches the pictures he was using for reference. They were wonky, misshapen and about to be thrown into the nearest fire._

_Bellamy tried to fix the mistake, but all he ended up doing was cutting deeply into his finger as the knife he was using slipped. A flash of pain spread through him and Bellamy sighed as the wound began to leak all over._

_It was a deeper cut than he thought and in his haste to bandage it, he did not notice his door opening. Bellamy turned and got the surprise of his life when he saw Echo standing by the door._

_"What happened?"_

_"It's nothing."_

_Bellamy ignored the roll of the eyes from Echo as she took the strip of cloth from him and began wrapping the wound. The wound was still oozing some blood, but Echo deftly cleaned the wound before tying it up._

_"Do all of your friends call dangerous cuts nothing?" Echo asked as she finished up cleaning the wound._

_Bellamy felt a bit embarrassed by her dry tone as he muttered, "It's just a flesh wound."_

_That was not the case at all. His enhanced strength had bitten him in the ass. The 'flesh wound' had revealed parts of his body that he preferably not see again._

_"Your sister said the same thing about her broken wrist," Echo said a small smile on her face, "She did eventually go to your healer after I finished our spar, though."_

_It was a new development at Arkadia. In the weeks since Clarke had left, Echo and Lincoln were helping whoever was interested to develop their combat skills._

_Octavia had been the first to show up._

_"That's O," Bellamy said a grimace on his face as he applied pressure to the wound, "She's a tough person."_

_"You all are," Echo said her eyes boring into Bellamy, "I was going to tell you to get your bow ready for a _real_ hunt, but that seems impossible now."_

_The emphasis Echo put on it being a real hunt made Bellamy scoff. Harper's ability to control animals made it extremely easy to hunt. That seemed to go against all Echo stood for as she chose to hunt on her own when not giving combat lessons._

_"How did you get hurt?" Echo said before her eyes landed on the bloodied knife and wooden pieces, "You can barely make a bow from wood. You should not be using such sharp knives just yet."_

_"I can teach you if‐" Echo cut herself off as she noticed the bandage on Bellamy's finger getting gradually darker, "You need to get to your healer. Come."_

_Bellamy was a lot less stubborn than Octavia and the throbbing pain in his hand made him follow Echo all the way to Medical. He was left alone with Abby and the cut was a fair bit more serious than either of them had thought._

_It was well over an hour before he was able to return to his room. He walked in and he was surprised to find all the blood gone, but more importantly, there were ten perfect pawns on his table._

* * *

That had been the beginning of Bellamy's friendship with Echo. Bellamy liked to think he was rather self-aware or at least more so than your average person.

He did have feelings for Echo. She was beautiful, strong and smart. She seemed to have an infinite reserve of useful knowledge on Earth. Whether it was the capital of the Trishanakru or which plant would heal a cut quicker than most.

She had unknowingly contributed to his breakup with Gina. To his shame, he had said the wrong name at the wrong time and that had not gone over well with Gina. Thankfully, Gina hadn't decided to share that with anyone.

Bellamy would have never lived it down.

It was just one of the many problems they'd had. Bellamy and Gina had sort of just drifted on. They pretty much just went through the motions and both of them knew it and yet neither of them did anything to fix things. Bellamy's slip up was simply the final push they needed to end things.

That being said, Bellamy had not pursued something with Echo. There was still so much that they were learning and had to learn about each other.

Bellamy was ready to take the plunge, but Echo was not yet there. It was hard to get a reading on Echo when she didn't want you to. Bellamy knew she was still working through her time as a Reaper and abandonment of Azgeda, but he didn't know quite how to help her.

She had made progress over the past year, but there was still a long way to go. And now she was gone. They had been hunting deer the one week and the next week she was gone.

It made Bellamy mad. At the Grounders. At Clarke. At Skaikru, At Echo, but all of that paled to the anger he felt at himself. It wasn't just Echo. Harper, Miller, Jasper and now Monty had been taken from right under his nose.

Bellamy was weak.

He only had two powers. He had lost his sonic scream the same day he had awoken it. No matter what he did, he just couldn't use it. He also didn't have the faintest idea of what his fourth power was.

Meanwhile, Raven and Octavia seemed to have gotten the hang of their four powers. Clarke had a laundry list of powers that seemed to increase every time he saw her and a stark contrast was Echo who never showed her powers.

Bellamy felt as though he was reaching a plateau when it came to his strength. It had taken months just to unlock his second power and even then he never got to use it all that much.

Hell, Bellamy had a feeling Madi had better powers than him. The girl was walking just ahead of him as they walked around Polis. Truthfully, Bellamy wasn't sure how long they had been walking around Polis.

They would stop at various stalls and look at the different items for sale. Some vendors were kind enough to give them free samples and Bellamy made sure to thank them with the slivers of Trigedasleng he could speak.

Luna's two lackeys trailed behind them like moths to a flame. Neither of them got too close, but Bellamy still felt offended that he was told he needed backup.

Clarke obviously knew and trusted Luna, but she hadn't earned any goodwill from Bellamy thus far. The woman had been rather rude and stubborn throughout their little meeting. He had no idea how Clarke could stand to be around her.

Bellamy was drawn from his musings as he realised they were in a more populated area of Polis. The streets were far narrower here and there was an immense amount of foot traffic. Bellamy had to hold Madi close to him as they fought their way through the crowd.

They broke through the worst of it, but just as they did a person in a hooded cloak walked past them. Something compelled Bellamy to look at the cloaked person's face and he was surprised when he saw it was someone he knew.

"Echo?"

Echo seemed to gaze at him directly before her eyes widened. She immediately sped past him as she took off back towards the throng of people behind them. Bellamy held onto Madi's arm as he directed them back the way they came in.

What the hell was going on?

"Come on, Madi," Bellamy said to the confused girl as he pulled her along, "We need to hurry."

Echo was already deep into the crowd and Bellamy felt hopeless. Then he noticed she was near one of the two Floukru guards who were still moving through the crowd. Bellamy yelled to get their attention, but all it seemed to achieve was freezing them in their tracks.

Echo barged her way through the two of them, but her hand seemed to linger on one of the men. Bellamy fought his way through the crowd that was now decreasing in number slowly. He caught a flash of Echo rounding a corner before she was gone.

He lost track of Echo as people seem to be emptying the streets with some haste. Bellamy felt a surge of unease that only seemed to get worse. He reached the two guards and he cursed as he saw the one that Echo had touched had a dagger sticking out of his side.

"Get me a healer!" Bellamy shouted to the people still around, but it didn't seem to achieve anything. The other guard shouted something in Trigedasleng and it seemed to resonate with some people.

So no one here spoke English. _Great_.

Bellamy saw that the wound was severe and he doubted that the guard was gonna make it. To his surprise, Madi knelt down next to the man her hands already glowing green.

"I can heal him," Madi said her voice more serious than he had expected it to be.

This was his chance.

"Look after her!" Bellamy said to the unharmed Floukru guard who nodded as Bellamy pointed to Madi.

That was all the confirmation Bellamy needed as he ran the way Echo had disappeared to. Why was she here in Polis and why was she avoiding him? Bellamy rounded the corner and as he did he saw a flash of black cloth round yet another corner.

Bellamy ran through the streets of Polis as fast as he could as he followed Echo. His chase went for a few minutes before he realised they were near the outskirts of Polis. The buildings here were very rundown and the streets were completely devoid of life.

He heard a door slam up ahead and he sprinted to the sound of the noise. It brought him to two dilapidated multi-storey buildings that had to have been long abandoned. Wood eroded far quicker than concrete after all.

Bellamy wasn't sure which building to enter until he heard another crash come from the one on the left. Bellamy barged through the door of the building and he ran up the stairs of the building.

He heard noises above him confirming he had chosen correctly. Finally, Bellamy reached the top floor (roughly nine floors) and the wood creaked heavily as he walked across it.

There was only a half-open door and Bellamy raised his hands as he prepared for an ambush. He walked into the room and he sighed as he saw Echo standing with her hood up in the centre of the room facing away from the door.

"Echo?" Bellamy said in relief as he lowered his hands, "What the hell are you doing here? Why did you hurt that guy? What's going on?"

Echo chose not to respond and Bellamy idly looked around the room. It was filled with dilapidated furniture that must have been out of use for decades. There was a stack of dirty plates near Bellamy that caught his eye.

He picked up one of them as he stared at the static and silent stance Echo held. An orange light spread across the plate in a series of cracks and branching lines.

"You're not Echo."

A cold laugh was his answer as the hooded figure turned to reveal the Azgeda woman from the Mountain. She had her facepaint on, but it was outshone by the smirk spread across her face.

"You're a true genius," the woman said with palpable sarcasm in her voice, "It took you so long to find me. I'm sorry, but I don't know who this 'Echo' is. Could you maybe describe her face for me?"

"What did you do to her?" Bellamy ground out, but the woman chose not to answer, "Fine, what's your name? Your real name."

"Maine."

"Good to know."

Bellamy threw the plate at Maine and it let off orange sparks as it sailed towards her. She bent over backwards completely sending the plate over her. It flew for a few feet before it smashed into the wall.

The second the plate hit the wall it exploded in a burst of heat and force. It blew a large hole into the dilapidated wall and Maine disappeared in a puff of smoke before appearing right by Bellamy.

She slammed a punch to his face before kicking over the table. Bellamy recovered quickly and he grabbed onto the stack of plates before charging them all at once. They weren't too heavy so their explosions wouldn't be too large.

He didn't want to bring the house down with him after all.

Once, all the plates were charged he used his telekinesis to send them flying at Maine. However, the woman expertly dodged each and every projectile. The explosions were ripping apart the room they were in and multiple fires began to spread.

Bellamy finally caught her off guard by launching a table into her. She rolled head over heel before Bellamy caught her in a telekinetic hold much like the last time. He slammed her into the walls over and over until he saw she was unconscious.

He ignored the rising heat in the room as he brought her closer to him. Blood was leaking from her head and a few of her limbs were broken in various parts.

A few seconds later, however, the injuries began to heal at an astonishing pace, but up close Bellamy was able to notice a shocking detail about her.

Her blood was black.

Maine was soon fully healed and she went up in a puff of smoke only to remain in the same spot. Blood as dark as night leaked out her nose as she stared at Bellamy.

"You learnt your lesson. Well done."

Bellamy tightened his hold on Maine as he clenched his fist. Her body visibly contracted from the force before he finally let go. A series of coughs escaped her before she looked at Bellamy.

"Echo is gone," The woman said as she smirked at Bellamy, "She caved a lot quicker than I expected. She kept screaming one name the whole time. Over and over and over and over. You're Bellamy, right? You're a lot weaker–"

Bellamy let out a scream of frustration as he sent Maine flying through the flames and the wall to the side of them. He cleared a path through the flames with his telekinesis which he also used to control his fall.

He ignored the rapidly growing crowd that must have been attracted to the explosions. There was a circle around something and Bellamy let out a curse as he saw what it was.

A tattered and destroyed black cloak.

A shadow was growing rapidly below him and a second later, Clarke landed as her wings rapidly melded into her. She looked at the now-burning building, the confused and panicked crowd and Bellamy's bloodied face before a question filled with confusion and anger made Bellamy feel half as tall he was.

"What the hell have you done?"

* * *

**Maine [Nightblood]**

**Name origin: Maine, USA**

**Powers: Teleportation, Talking Smack**

* * *

**Author Notes:**

**Well, here we are. The next arc (and fully OC) is now underway. It was, paradoxically, very easy and very difficult to write. A very Clarke-centric (as is the standard lol) chapter, but at least Bellamy got some much-needed spotlight.**

**A whole lot happened. Some good and some bad. **

**I'm curious to hear what you guys have to say about this chapter. Hopefully, you guys enjoyed it.**

**P.S Season 7 of The 100 has gotten off to a wild start. I'm loving it so far, give it a watch if you haven't already**

* * *

**Power Listing:**

**Octavia Blake^ (4/4):**

**\- Crystal armour and transformation**

**\- Concussive blasts**

**-360**°** vision**

**\- Invisibility**

**Raven Reyes^ (4/4):**

**\- Weather Control**

**\- Laser beams**

**\- X-ray vision**

**\- Organomech Transformation**

**Bellamy Blake^ (2/3*)**

**\- Telekinesis**

**\- Explosion induction**

**\- ?**

**^Note: Enhanced physical capabilities i.e strength, speed, stamina, reflexes and durability(limited)**

***Note: Sonic Scream is gone**


	22. Defiance

**Finally, got this one down lol. Sorry for the delay. Hopefully, this makes up for it.**

* * *

"Let me get this straight," Clarke said slowly as she sat across Bellamy. They were now in her room after having extinguished the fire. Madi, who had been found by Luna, was sleeping on Clarke's bed.

"You were attacked by someone you thought was Echo, but it was actually that Azgeda woman?" Clarke finished and Bellamy nodded languidly. His wounds had been healed, but he was clearly still drained from the day's activities.

"Her name is Maine," Bellamy said before scoffing, "If you believe her anyways. She definitely knew Echo and she knew I thought she was Echo. I hate to admit it, but she's strong. It felt like she was toying with me the whole time."

"It just frustrates me," Bellamy said as he ran his hands through his hair, "I feel like I'm useless. Raven and Octavia are a lot stronger than me and that's without mentioning you. That Duos injection was wasted on me."

On some level, Clarke had known that Bellamy was upset over the abductions, but this sounded like something that had been building for a longer time. How long exactly was still a mystery to her.

Bellamy was and had always been sure of himself. It was one of his defining traits. He took pride in whatever achievements he got whether it was killing a deer or saving someone's life. Even at his worst, Bellamy had always had a raging fire to his words and actions.

That was all gone now.

"Look," Clarke said drawing on similar conversations she had had with Luna, "You did make mistakes. You were overconfident and rash. You burnt a building down and abandoned Madi in the middle of Polis."

Clarke expected some pushback, but she received none. In fact, Bellamy seemed to accept the criticisms wholeheartedly, a stark contrast to before the Mountain. His gaze dropped to the floor with the weight of his missteps being thrown in his face.

"But that's just who we are as humans," Clarke said causing Bellamy to look up at her, "I know Echo was important to you and if I'd seen one of you or Madi or Luna, then I'd drop everything and go after them too. Your mistakes today do not erase your deeds of yesterday."

That was a sentiment Luna had imparted to Clarke during her worst days after the Mountain. It was, sometimes, near impossible to see the good that some of your actions brought into the world. Especially if you're haunted by guilt.

Ultimately, the worst that had come, thus far, from Bellamy's actions was a burnt down building. The rest could and would be fixed. Bellamy wasn't a monster. Clarke knew a monster when she saw one and she wouldn't let Bellamy wallow in his guilt any longer.

He wasn't a monster like she was.

"We can fix all of this," Clarke said with more confidence than she actually felt, "Things won't escalate any further."

"I hope so."

There was a knock at the door and it seemed to awaken Madi. Clarke had a feeling she had been feigning sleep, but that was not too important for now. Clarke opened the door and she was greeted by the carefully calm faces of Raven and Octavia.

Or at least, Raven was calm. Octavia dropped her facade the instant she saw Bellamy rising from his seat. She barged past Clarke before walking to her brother and pushing him back into the chair behind him.

What the hell?

"Have you learnt fucking nothing?" Octavia growled as she stood over Bellamy.

Clarke called out Octavia's name to quell her anger (and due to the bad language) but the younger girl didn't seem to register it all. Her entire posture was tense as she glared at her older brother. Raven had closed the door behind her which probably wouldn't do all that much to muffle the sound.

Worryingly, Clarke could see crystal begin to spread across Octavia's hands – a sign of Octavia losing control of her temper. It was eerily similar to Raven causing a hurricane after finding out Finn had cheated on her.

An image of a sword punching through someone's back flashed through Clarke's mind before she forced it down. It was clear that Octavia wasn't as put together as Clarke had initially thought or the frustration of the situation was getting to her.

Either way, Clarke had to find a way to calm Octavia down and she had a feeling, Octavia would bot be placated by mere words. Octavia seemed eager to prove Clarke's point as she cut off any words from Bellamy.

"You weren't thinking!" Octavia shouted in his face slamming a crystallised fist into the table, "You weren't thinking when you shot Jaha. You weren't thinking when you destroyed Raven's radio and got hundreds of people _floated_ in their sleep. You're still the same monster as usual!"

This had gone on for long enough. Madi was beginning to look uncomfortable and Raven was averting her gaze entirely. Clarke had to stop this before it went any further.

Octavia was about to slam her fist into the table again, but Clarke sped over and caught the fist in her hand. Octavia turned over to her and to Clarke's slight surprise her hostility didn't decrease at all.

"Are you going to order me to stand down, Chancellor?" Octavia's tone seemed to be deliberately provocative. She seemed to want a reaction from Clarke.

"You need to cool down."

Octavia raised a brow at Clarke's brusque tone, "How are we gonna do that, Commander of Death?"

"We're going to fight."

* * *

It had only taken a firm order to one of the many tower attendants to be guided to one of the training grounds near the Tower. There was a lot of foot traffic and Clarke assumed the public was free to watch the warriors train.

It was probably reassuring for the citizens to see what some of the warriors were capable of. It was also probably an effective intimidation technique as well. People would be far more agreeable if they saw what warriors were capable of doing.

"Is this really how you want to play things?" Raven said as she scanned the growing crowd around them, "We don't need to solve everything with fighting."

"I know that," Clarke said as she too took a look around at the crowd, "Octavia knows that. She wants this, though. You know how she can be like. I think it's just the pressure of everything and she's feeling like she's not helping."

"_This_ isn't helping."

"She just needs to vent," Clarke said as she met Octavia's gaze, "I can let her vent and still be perfectly fine afterwards. Plus, she probably has an issue with me dropping everything and leaving so we need to get this out the way. We can't leave the city so we do this right now right here."

Raven's face twisted at the mention of Clarke's departure from Arkadia and was clearly remembering her role in it. It was clear to Clarke that there was still some stuff to work out, but Raven was a lot more reasonable than either of Octavia and Bellamy.

That was why Clarke was waiting to broach the subject with her. It wasn't because she still felt guilt over killing the lifelong love of one of her friends. Not at all.

"What are the stipulations?" Octavia called out to Clarke from across the field.

"You should head back to the tower and stay with Bellamy and Madi,' Clarke said as she noticed a few generals amongst the crowd, "Call me paranoid, but I'd feel better if you were there with them."

Raven nodded as she looked at the generals who had shown up. Erid, the Sankru general met Clarke's gaze and her face seemed to settle into a frown. The other two were Livia and Mason– the Delfikru general.

Mason seemed to be the only one that wasn't openly hostile towards Clarke. From what Clarke had gleaned from Luna and Kane, Delfikru were not as militant as the other clans and were thinkers more than they were warriors.

Delfi's capital was apparently filled with various innovations that would grab Clarke's attention if Luna were to be believed. Mason nodded politely at Clarke before turning her gaze towards Octavia who was still waiting.

"You'll know when it's over," Clarke said and she gave a look to Raven who left almost immediately. The atmosphere wasn't quite as intense as the gauntlet, but even then Clarke knew people were itching to see her fight. It would be good to show why being on the other side was a bad idea.

It was a good thing Octavia could handle it.

Octavia made the first move as she raised her hands. They were already crystallised and she fired a storm of shards. Clarke swung her hands in a pushing motion firing a burst of air from her hands.

The shards scattered all across the field and Clarke was thankful, it was lowered into the ground to prevent damage to the crowd. They did not need any more complications.

Octavia didn't take to this to well and she fired a strong shockwave towards Clarke. The shockwave was fast, but Clarke was faster as she stomped on the ground. A rock wall intercepted the shockwave and absorbed it entirely.

Clarke raised her hands to the wall and there was a beat of inactivity before a loud crack echoed through the air. Shards of rock were fired from the wall at a rapid pace and Clarke could hear the sharp sound of the rocks slamming into Octavia.

The wall soon crumbled into nothing and Clarke was able to see the crystal and rock shards laying across the ground. Octavia was in her full armour and it was encased in cracks all over her body. The girl in question was still standing her arms covering her head.

Clarke fired a psionic blast and Octavia only had time to look up before she was sent flying into a wall. There was a groan from the crowd as Octavia made a deep imprint into the wall. However, Octavia wasn't willing to quit as she gingerly stood up once more. Her armour regenerating as she did so.

Octavia's anger seemed to be taking the better of her as she charged Clarke head-on. Octavia moved a lot faster than what Clarke had seen from her before. However, it was still slow compared to the speeds Clarke could reach.

She chose to close Octavia down and they engaged in a fistfight as they met each other halfway. Clarke was weaving her way around Octavia as the girl struck out with crystallised punches, kicks and even blades.

Clarke did not attack at all as Octavia did her best to find her way through Clarke's defence. It was easy for Clarke to see that Octavia had been trained.

She moved with a grace and fluidity that all Grounders seemed to have. It was probably Lincoln and Echo's doing. Octavia finally managed to land a hit as she faked a palm strike before firing a shockwave.

Clarke was able to block it, but she was still sent backwards. She was hurtled into the air and a few more shockwaves sent her up and further away. Clarke was able to adjust her landing with a few bursts of air and she landed deftly on the ground.

Her body ached from the force of those shockwaves. Octavia seemed to realise this as she smiled rather cruelly at Clarke. Her words were easy for Clarke to hear, but were swallowed up by the general chatter of the crowd.

"I trained so hard for this," Octavia murmured and there was a slight hint of exhaustion in her voice, "For months, everybody was just asking where you were. Or wanted your advice or input or whatever else it was. But you weren't there. You just left to run around with some strangers you don't know."

Clarke knew Octavia was talking about Madi and Luna and despite it all, she still fell for the bait. She fired a stream of fire that washed over Octavia. The crowd let out a startled gasp, but Clarke ignored it as she sped towards Octavia.

The younger girl was flickering in and out of sight and her armour had retracted. Clarke had never forgotten the fact that the delinquents' powers were ruled by their body and their emotions.

Octavia was stumbling around as nausea took over and as soon as Clarke saw Octavia's armour fade she attacked. Octavia tried to counter, but she was too sluggish to get close to landing a hit.

She slapped aside Octavia's weak punches before delivering a punch into her stomach. Octavia gasped as her lungs were voided of air. Clarke swept Octavia's legs out from under her before pointing her palm right at Octavia's face.

She put her boot on Octavia's stomach. Her shirt was completely soaked through from sweat. Blood was streaming down from her nose and it melded into the sweat already on her face.

"Are you done?"

Octavia scoffed, but she said no more as she nodded slightly. Clarke took her foot off of Octavia and held out her hand to Octavia who took it after only a moment's hesitation.

"I'm sorry I left you guys in the lurch," Clarke said as she noticed the crowd around them begin to disperse, "Things were...are complicated."

Octavia still seemed to be unsteady on her feet, but apparently she was no longer angry, "I know. I'm sorry. I was just feeling nervous about everything and then the building thing happened so you and Bellamy were easy targets."

Clarke had figured as much. Octavia wasn't one to repress her feelings and would often find destructive ways to deal with them. This was an inconsequential spar and so neither of them were worse off for it.

"I feel so sick," Octavia said as she bent over, with her hands on her knees "Is that because of your fire? That was really bad, Clarke. I lost control of my powers almost immediately."

"Heat exhaustion affects your mind and body," Clarke said alluding to the weaknesses of Octavia's powers, "I think it was the nice way of punching through your armour."

"What's the other way?"

"Punching through your armour."

Octavia let out a weak chuckle her voice raspy and dry, "Funny...Ugh...I think I need to lie down and I'm not keen on walking up like 50 flights of stairs. Can't you make a portal?"

Clarke made a portal and she decided to take another look at the crowd. The three generals from earlier were still present and were openly staring at Clarke. Livia, most of all, seemed to have a predatory edge to her demeanour and Erid was just as hostile as before. Once again, only Mason seemed even somewhat friendly.

"You coming?"

Clarke turned away from the generals as she faced Octavia, "Yeah, let's go."

Clarke walked through the portal and despite never looking back she could still feel the gaze of the generals boring into her back. That spar may have patched things over with Octavia, but it only opened up more questions about the generals.

* * *

Raven felt like she needed to clear her head after the hectic events of the day. Octavia and Clarke had returned from their spar/therapy session and now Clarke was nursing Octavia back to health.

Night had fallen without any word from the Grounders and the anxiety was beginning to wear down on everyone.

Bellamy and Madi were also there and that freed Raven up to go for a walk. Usually, when she had a lot on her mind she would just bury herself in her work and bury whatever was on her mind.

That obviously wasn't an option right now so a walk through the tower and maybe Polis would do her some good. It probably wouldn't, but the further away from Clarke she was then the better.

Clarke and Bellamy had always been on pretty much the same page so it was rather simple for them to solve the little issues they'd had. Octavia had also not had any major disagreements with Clarke that weren't solved. The point often needed to be beaten into Octavia's head, verbally or physically as it were.

By all accounts, this meant that Clarke and Raven would broach the whole Finn debacle. They had been rather civil, if not friendly, and Raven had to admit that Clarke saving her life had something to do with it.

The gratitude she felt was mixed with the anger and rage and fury that thinking of Finn's death, or execution to be more accurate. Clarke had easily become Raven's closest friend within the delinquents especially after Finn being exposed and Roma dying.

Their dynamic has been warped after Clarke had killed the Reapers at the dropship and they had taken a few steps forward in the Mountain only to take a few dozen backwards afterwards.

Despite how antagonistic she had been to Clarke, it had hurt to lose a close friend.

Raven had ultimately been the one to push Clarke away and it hurt to see Clarke be so warm with Luna, a virtual stranger to them all, and then be so awkward with Raven. If anything, it only made Raven feel more lonely.

It wasn't only Clarke, though. Octavia and Lincoln had been joined at the waist for months now and despite what they thought Bellamy and Echo were embarrassingly obvious. The other delinquents like Jasper and Monty also tended to stick with each other and so Raven often found herself on the periphery of things.

Raven wasn't even sure what she needed or wanted Clarke to do. The time apart had healed the wound somewhat, but Finn was still a sore topic. She wasn't sure if she'd flip out or immediately forgive Clarke if she apologised.

She'd just have to wait and see then. Raven would wait for Clarke to bring it up. She hoped it would be one of those things that got buried and forgotten, but things were not always that easy.

A creak from one of the rooms got Raven's attention and she used her X-ray vision to scan her surroundings. The floor that Skaikru had been put on was said to be empty, but Raven would rather be cautious than dead.

The sound was revealed to be a bird trapped in one of the nearby rooms. It flew around the room for a while before exiting through the window which was pretty much a hole in the room.

None of the rooms had any actual windows anymore. Raven could only assume they had been blown out when the bombs fell. It made the rooms rather chilly if you slept above your blanket which made sense considering how high up they were.

Raven kept scanning the floor out of curiosity and boredom. She did not expect to find anyone or anything on this level and so she was surprised when she caught movement in a far-off room.

It was a very fancy room– about the same as Clarke's actually. The woman inside seemed to be staring at what looked like paintings on the wall. The woman turned to face Raven and to her surprise, Raven recognised her face.

"Costia?"

It was the girl that Clarke had carried the whole way to Arkadia back when the thing at the Mountain went down. Raven had been somewhat curious about the whole thing and especially so when she had been handed to the Commander.

She had tried to get more information from Lincoln and Echo, but it had been like trying to get blood from a rock. All she knew was that Costia had to have been held in high regard.

The Commander had seemed shellshocked to see Costia according to Octavia which only made Raven more curious about their dynamic. Were they comrades? Lovers? Enemies? Family?

It made no sense for her to be holed up in the tower with an entire floor to herself.

Costia was still running her fingers up and down the numerous portraits that were all over her room. Raven tried to focus on the paintings but there were too far for her to really see them.

Raven turned away from Costia reluctantly as she decided to explore a bit more of the tower. She would probably get into trouble for doing this, but a little reconnaissance could go a long way.

Raven crept down the stairs while keeping her X-ray vision active her eyes glowing an eerie yellow. She made it to the level where the meetings were held when she peered through the many empty rooms to spot the Commander speaking to someone.

Raven scanned the floor and she was relieved to find it devoid of any guards or servants. The walk to the meeting hall was still tense, but she was, at the very least, able to focus solely on being silent and not worrying about someone finding her.

Finally, Raven was close enough to hear the voices of the Commander and whoever she was speaking to. Their voices just bled through the slightly open doors to the hall.

Raven's X-ray vision revealed that the Commander was sitting in her throne. A storm of anger and frustration made itself known within Raven before she quashed it down. This could be important.

The other person in the living room was wearing a hood and she had her hair done in large black and white braids. Raven could see that this stranger's eyes were glowing a bright pink as she stared off into space.

Raven crept closer, but she stopped in her tracks when Lexa looked directly at her through the walls. A cold feeling spread throughout her body and Raven was worried that Lexa was sure Raven was spying on her.

It was the longest ten seconds of her life before Lexa finally looked away as the other woman jerked back to life. Lexa's posture was still loose and so Raven was sure Lexa didn't know she was there. Thank goodness for small miracles.

"What did you see, Gaia?" Lexa said unknowingly providing Raven with the other woman's name.

"The days ahead are unclear, Heda," Gaia said her voice deeply troubled, "There is too much we do not know. I see many paths branching forth. Many results in your death or the Coalition's failure if not both."

Raven felt her heart thumping in her chest as she heard Gaia speak. This couldn't be true. Could Gaia see the future? That was beyond _anything_ Raven had seen on Earth, thus far. Was it possible?

Raven's more rational side came out as she broke down what Gaia had said. It was not exactly precognition, but it was more being able to see the consequences of various actions taken. The future was not set in stone and there was information Gaia was missing so it clearly wasn't infallible.

Even then, for Lexa to ask for her help, Gaia would have to be extremely trustworthy. Raven hadn't even seen the woman before today and a meeting at this time of the night had to be of the utmost importance.

All in all, Raven was unsure of what to make of the accuracy of Gaia's abilities, but nevertheless she hung onto every word of Gaia's conversation with Lexa. It was the next question that made Raven gasp.

"Is Skaikru essential to saving the Coalition?"

"It is unclear..." Gaia said pausing for just a moment, "There have been times where Wanheda–"

"Clarke."

"My apologies," Gaia said after the abrupt interruption, "There have been times where Clarke won alongside. There have been times where you fell, but she lived to win the war..."

That sounded promising to Raven, but she should have known better than to be optimistic as Gaia let out a weary sigh. Gaia seemed to be nervous as she looked back at the Commander.

"However," Gaia murmured, "There were times where Skaikru betrayed you or sided with your enemies. In these events, it would usually be Clarke who would kill you on the battlefield or in Polis or...elsewhere."

Raven barely had time to register the embarrassment on Gaia's face before she continued, "Other times, the other Skaikru with her in Polis would be the ones to kill you. Bellamy, Octavia and more often than not–"

Raven took a step back and she left the area as quick as she could. A feeling of shame and anger and embarrassment filled her as she filled in the blanks on her own. Gaia had to be talking about her.

Perhaps her distaste for the Commander hadn't been a subtle as she had thought. The idea that she would kill the Commander for her own petty revenge _during a war_ was ridiculous.

That's not who Raven was. Clarke had brutalised Diana during their first meeting at the Exodus ship. Clarke, again, had burnt hundreds of Reapers right down to ashes. Clarke had killed Finn on Lexa's orders and then she had gutted the Mountain Men all on her own.

Raven was not like Clarke.

Despite it all, Raven could still feel the part of her baying for a chance at Lexa. If Lexa's people had been more peaceful then none of this would have happened. If Lexa's people had beaten the Mountain Men, Skaikru would have had an easier transition to living on Earth.

Her very soul was screaming at a chance to get her revenge on Lexa. Clarke would probably never forgive her, but Raven doubted they could or would ever get to a place where they were close friends again.

She wasn't sure what to make of that.

Raven paused as she came to the level below the meeting hall. She was getting further and further away from Skaikru's level as well as having plausible deniability on her side. If she got caught now then that could derail everything.

Raven's X-ray vision was in full effect as she scanned the current floor. The rooms on this level actually were occupied and it was a bit surreal to walk past Luna as she sat cross-legged on her bed.

There were still a lot of empty rooms, Raven could guess that these were used as buffers between the clans. The people in each section were dressed in similar clothing depending on their clan.

These sections were also separated by vertical hallways that had a lot of boarded-up doors if any at all. Raven could only assume that after hundreds of years some rooms became unusable.

One of the first clans that Raven had passed had been Azgeda and she had had the _pleasure_ of seeing Ontari and some random Azgeda warrior throw themselves at each other.

Her X-ray vision had shut off on its own upon seeing...that.

It was definitely Raven's day though as the few people she encountered in the hallways didn't even seem to care about her which made sense. She wasn't as famous as Clarke or Indra so most people wouldn't recognise her or they may have even assumed she was a tower servant.

Finally, Raven came to the end of the clans and it was Trikru that was placed on this end of the floor. Azgeda was on the complete other side which was probably for the best.

Echo and Lincoln had had a lot to say about the Trikru-Azgeda relationship which was almost as passionate as their relationship with the Mountain Men. The sheer hatred and animosity had been built upon centuries of bloodshed and treachery.

Azgeda and Trikru could barely stand to be in a room with each other. Lincoln and Echo were a deviation from the norm, but they had both said it was very rare for members of both clans to have even a civil discussion.

It was that knowledge that made Raven particularly worried about what she was seeing in front of her. Indra and Nia were in a room and they were talking to each other. That made no sense and yet Raven could see it as clear as day.

They weren't facing each other directly. They were both staring off into space as they spoke. Raven obviously couldn't read lips, but the conversation seemed to be extremely...peaceful...which was wrong.

Nia and Indra _hated_ each other. Raven would have been less surprised to find one bathing in the blood of the other. Yet, here they were having a chat in the middle of the night.

Against her better judgement, Raven approached Indra's suite hoping to get an idea of what they were talking about. The entire Trikru section was empty which begged the question of where they all were.

A dark idea fought its way into Raven's mind and planted itself right in there. Could Trikru actually be working against Lexa? That had to be impossible. It was as crazy as Skaikru having to fight Clarke. It made no sense at all.

And yet the proof was right in front of her. They may have been too quick to dismiss the threat of Trikru. Arkadia was on their land after all and Skaikru had done an amazing job of cultivating the surrounding lands. Maybe they wanted it back or something.

Raven focused on Indra and Nia as she walked towards the former's door. She was right by it when the sound of glass snapping reverberated through the air. Raven only had to look down to see pieces of glass scattered across the floor.

Indra and Nia both turned towards the door at the same time and it felt like their eyes pierced Raven's soul. It was Indra who moved towards the door turning her back on Nia. Raven sped back the way she came from and she dove down a side hallway.

The doors were all boarded up on this hallway and Raven cursed as she saw Indra begin to open the door. There was no way she could bust this door open without being caught.

"Fuck it," Raven pointed her hand at the door while keeping half an eye on Indra who had just unlocked her door. Her hand morphed into a cannon and she was about to blow the door when there was a soft pop behind her.

A hand covered her mouth and wrapped around her waist before she felt her surroundings morph around her. Raven blinked as she realised she was in an unfamiliar room. She tried to elbow her captor, but her elbow was blocked before she was pushed forward.

Raven aimed her cannon at her captor only to frown as she came face to face with Anya. The Trikru warrior's gaze was focused on Raven's cannon even as she raised her hands in submission.

"Is this how Skaikru thanks those that save them?" Anya said before flitting her eyes to Raven's, "Indra would have had your head for spying on her."

"You knew I was spying on her?" Raven couldn't hide her shock her hand-cannon moving slightly. Anya was silent and Raven sighed as she realised the other woman was focused on the weapon again.

Raven disassembled the cannon as it melded back into her skin. Anya seemed intrigued by that, but she eventually nodded looking back up at Raven.

"You were obvious with your spying on the Commander as well," Anya said smiling when Raven's face dropped into a deeper frown, "You need to look behind you more. A lot more."

"Why didn't you expose me?"

"The conversation you had overheard was not important and you would only put Skaikru in a worse light if I exposed you," Anya said before flicking her eyes towards Raven's hand.

"I would rather Skaikru have a good relationship with the Commander before the war. You, of all people, being caught with a weapon would make that difficult."

"What about me?" Raven said feeling insulted by Anya's insinuation.

"Your hatred for the Commander is obvious," Anya said with enough edge to make Raven twitch, "Some of the more observant generals and Heda herself would be able to see it. What did she do to you?"

Raven remained silent as she clenched her hands into fists. Anya may have been one of the nicer Grounders, but that didn't mean she was entitled to a detailed breakdown of Raven's life.

"It's none of your business," It was a reflexive answer and probably a bit too harsh for the person that had saved her from Indra's fury. Her voice was scratchy both from thirst as well as anger which only punctuated her curt answer.

Oddly, Anya didn't seem put off by Raven's abrasive answer as she walked towards a table with a jug on it. Raven watched as Anya poured out something into two cups on the table.

Anya offered one of the cups to Raven and she took it reluctantly. Her throat was feeling a bit dry, but she waited for Anya to take a sip which the older woman noticed immediately.

"You are too paranoid," Anya said before taking a deep swig of her cup, "Clarke is a lot more open than most of you Skaikru."

"Yeah, she's just perfect," Raven scoffed before taking as deep a drink as Anya did. It was only now that she realised the drink was, in fact, alcohol and not water. Her body burned as the alcoholic brew surged down her throat.

"I thought this was water," Raven said drawing a dry laugh from Anya.

"You were getting too angry," Anya said refilling her cup before sitting down at the table, "As I said before, our people need to work together to survive the storm. Drink some more, it will help you relax."

Raven took a much smaller sip from the fiery brew as she sat down at the table. Raven stared directly into Anya's eyes which, similar to her own, were a dark brown. Anya's gaze was less stern than Raven had ever seen it probably due to the olive branch she was extending.

Screw it.

"So what is life like down here?"

It was the least Raven could do. Other than the fact that Anya had probably saved her life, it was nice to talk someone that didn't walk on eggshells around her like pretty much everyone in Arkadia did.

As Anya began with a story about life in Trikru, Raven was starting to see what everyone(read Bellamy, Clarke and Octavia) saw in the Grounders.

Or maybe it was Anya, in particular.

* * *

This was the moment of truth.

Lexa had deliberated with her people on the attacks and now was the time for the final judgement to be passed. Clarke wasn't sure how the upcoming meeting would go.

They had received an invitation to the meeting hall and Clarke just knew it was an important meeting today. She hadn't seen much of Luna as she had been helping Lexa and Clarke didn't quite feel comfortable with roaming the tower.

Raven had disappeared for hours on end, but in the end Clarke had found her neatly tucked in her bed. Clarke hadn't heard Raven return at any time of the night so it was a bit odd, but Raven was fine if not a little hungover.

Clarke had no idea how or where Raven had gotten alcohol from and she had a gut feeling she didn't want to know either.

Clarke decided to let her hair hang loose and she walked out the bathroom into the main room where everyone was waiting for her. Raven was clutching onto a cup filled with water with one hand while the other massaged her forehead.

"Seriously, Raven?" Octavia said as she took in Raven's hunched over form, "You got alcohol and you didn't share? That's low–even for you."

"Last I checked you couldn't hold your alcohol," Raven muttered without looking at Octavia, "Remember Mount Weather?"

Octavia scoffed and was about to retort when Bellamy interjected, "Who's going with Clarke today? Maine might be out on the loose today and we need all hands on deck."

The three of them, as well as Madi, had to be on red alert in case anything happened. Clarke was very wary of bringing Madi to the meeting. Clarke had confidence in being able to defend herself and Madi, but the risk was almost too great.

"I'm not going," Bellamy said his expression sour, "If that bitch pops up again, I want to be first in line to knock her down."

Clarke was upset at Bellamy's choice of words, but in the end she chose not to react. Clarke knew Bellamy well and she was sure he had already been dumping on himself since Maine had escaped. It was pointless to pile on at this stage.

"Fine, I'll go with Raven and Madi," Clarke said shocking everyone, but especially the youngest room.

"Why me?" Madi said and she looked a bit anxious which was very understandable.

Madi was so mature for her age, far more than Clarke had been, but she was still a child. There would be moments where Madi would let her youth show and this was one of them.

Madi was fearless in the face of immediate danger like when she had nearly been abducted or when she had saved Clarke. This was different though. Luna had told Madi many stories of the Coalition and Madi had her own knowledge of what the Grounders were like.

Clarke walked over to Madi and cupped the girl's hands, "You're strong, Madi and not because of your blood. You need to believe in yourself. Luna and I gave you everything we know so you would be safe. You know I'd do anything to keep you safe."

Madi didn't seem entirely moved by Clarke's speech her face still pinched with worry, "I know that. I'm not scared for me."

Oh. _Oh_.

"You're worried about me?" Clarke said feeling like an idiot and she had to blink her tears away as Madi's gaze dropped to the floor, "I can take care of myself, Madi. You don't have to worry about me."

Madi wasn't appeased by this as she shook her head and tried to pull away from Clarke. Clarke was able to resist that and she gave a silent look to her friends who seemed to understand as they all filed out.

"You almost got killed by that man in Trikru," Madi whispered as she hugged Clarke tightly, "I was so scared...everyone in my life has disappeared. My parents, my village, everyone...I don't want the same to happen to you."

This time, Clarke could not stop the tears from flowing. She knew Madi struggled with her last demons. Clarke wished she could just heal the scars of the past, but that wasn't how it worked. Time and love were the only things that could help and they were out of time.

Clarke stepped back and cupped Madi's face in her hands. Tears were flowing down Madi's cheeks and Clarke used her thumbs to wipe them away.

"I love you, Madi," Clarke said with as much seriousness as she could muster, "I know you worry about me and I wish I could tell you that everything will be fine, but you're too smart for that."

"I will always do my best to come back to you, Madi," Clarke said staring into the girl's eyes, "You're my family. No matter what happens today, I will never stop fighting for you to have a peaceful life because that's exactly what you deserve."

Clarke pulled Madi into a hug before pressing a kiss to the top of her head. There was no need for any more words. Luna was the wordsmith between the two of them and Clarke was jealous of how Luna could cut through any defences with her words alone.

Clarke only knew how to speak from her heart and oftentimes it wasn't quite enough. Nevertheless, her words seemed to have resonated within Madi. Clarke truly wished she could tell Madi that everything was going to be fine, but that wasn't the world they lived in.

There was an urgent knock at the door and Clarke finally stepped away from Madi who seemed much better than before. She wiped the tear tracks from both their faces before giving permission to let whoever it was in.

"We need to go," Raven said her tone very urgent, "Now."

"What?" Clarke said her shoulders flooding with tension, "Is something wrong?"

"I went to speak to Anya, but she found me first," Raven said and that shocked Clarke before she quashed the feeling, "The meeting is happening right now. It got moved up."

The meeting wasn't scheduled for a while yet so for it to have been moved up didn't fill Clarke with a lot of optimism. She turned to Madi who seemed surprised, but she managed to school her expression after a look of concern from Clarke.

"Where are Bellamy and Octavia?"

"They've gone to the hall as well," Raven said, "Anya's advice."

Clarke gave one last look to Madi whose face was now resolute in the face of whatever they were about to face. Clarke turned back to Raven biting down on the anxiety from this development.

"Let's go."

* * *

Clarke knew that this meeting would be unlike any of the other ones, the second they step through the door. The room was packed. If Clarke had to guess, every clan's delegation were in the room. What had been a very spacious room was beginning to feel crowded.

Clarke walked at the head of the group as they made their way to the centre of the room. The layout of the generals had been changed. Instead of being either side of Lexa's throne, they were now six each on the path leading to the throne.

That _had_ to be deliberate.

The very first person Clarke saw was someone she had only caught glimpses of until now. The Ice Queen Nia caught Clarke's eye and she met the older woman's gaze without flinching.

This seemed to amuse Nia as she smiled with no real warmth behind it.. The parody of a smile distorted the scars across Nia's face, but it did nothing to affect Clarke. However, when Nia's gaze flitted purposely towards Madi and then back up to Clarke, she was unable to stop her fist from clenching.

Nia's smile grew into a full-blown grin at the sight before Clarke forced herself to turn away. She caught the eye of Luna next and that was a sight for sore eyes. Luna was stiff and upright in her chair, but Clarke was still able to see the ghost of a smile on Luna's face.

That smile died as she looked over Clarke's shoulder towards Bellamy and Madi, but Luna seemed to regain control of herself a second later. It was no moment too soon as a young woman with silver and black hair in elaborate braids walked into the room.

"My name is Gaia," the woman, Gaia, sounded and looked very angry at what was happening as she spoke, "I am the new Flamekeeper. Rise for your Heda."

The last bit was directed to the generals in particular who were the only ones lucky enough to be seated. Ontari was the only one on her feet already as Nia occupied her seat, but that changed as starting with Luna, the generals rose one-by-one.

Lexa walked into the room from a side door and she didn't even glance at Clarke as she came to a stop at her throne. It was then and only then that Nia rose out of her seat in an exaggerated and slow manner.

Lexa's eyes seemed to darken and Clarke bit her lip as she saw that Lexa had applied her warpaint. Lexa looked over the crowd until finally her gaze landed on Clarke. Her gaze seemed to exude many an emotion before she finally addressed the crowd.

"Who is responsible for this?"

Clarke could sense the unease in the room ramp up and she stepped just a bit closer to her friends. She was ready to open a portal to Arkadia on a moment's notice so they would be safe. This many people crammed together would be a disaster if it came to blows.

"The generals had received word of a plan involving Skaikru and they would not stand for it," Nia said stepping out of line with the generals, "Naturally, I called the meeting to dissuade you from your foolish plan."

Clarke was able to hear Octavia whisper three words to herself that encapsulated what Clarke was feeling. What plan were they talking about? Clarke eyed the people around them just in case any were about to make a move.

She'd make them regret it.

Everyone in the room was still standing, but no one would dare take a seat while it was this tense. Lexa adjusted her stance as she cocked her head slightly.

"You defy your Heda?" Lexa's gaze was predatory as she looked at the generals, "Does Nia speak for you all?"

Remus from Boudalan was the one to speak. His dark hair and stern face gave him a look of perennial seriousness. Clarke didn't know much about him, but he had definitely been one of the more neutral generals during their fight.

She had only managed to trap him in a pyramid of stone which led to Remus being disqualified. He would definitely be an issue if they had to face each other again.

"We simply wish to know if what you are considering is true or not, Heda," Remus said his tone a tad less biting than Nia's and Lexa's had been.

Lexa seemed to weigh up his words before her gaze settled on Clarke once again. It was even more deliberate than the last time. Lexa's gaze was pinned on her as she opened her mouth to speak, but right there and then Lexa was interrupted.

"She wants to add Skaikru to the Coalition," Nia said seemingly relishing in cutting the Commander off.

There was a series of murmurs and curses and other such noises. Clarke was surprised not only by Nia's boldness, but also by the offer. Some of the Grounders were also wary of the offer as they stared at the group of five outsiders.

"You better have a way out of this," Octavia whispered in Clarke's ear, "If not then I'm definitely taking that ice bitch with me."

"Just stay close," Clarke said just loud enough for only them to hear, "Don't do anything stupid."

Lexa raised her hand, but the room remained as disruptive as before. Oddly, it was that more than anything that made Clarke realise that Lexa had lost a lot of respect from her people. Clarke exchange da nervous glance from Luna who looked ready to lash out at a moment's notice.

Luna gave her a minute shake of the head and Clarke knew what it meant immediately.

Do not interfere.

"Silence!" Lexa punctuated her shout with a stomp on the ground, "I believe Skaikru is innocent of all crimes and I believe someone within the Coalition is trying to discredit them. The cowards behind these attacks would be foolish to carry on with them should Skaikru be a part of the Coalition."

"Is that the real reason you wish to induct Skaikru?" Nia said walking forward from her seat before glancing deliberately towards Clarke her tone devious, "Or is it something _more_?"

"Klark kom Skaikru," Nia seemed to appraise Clarke as she gestured towards her, "Skaifaya, Wanheda, killer of the Maunon and leader of the sky people."

"Leksa is afraid of Wanheda," Nia didn't seem to flinch as a few tower guards took a few steps forward, "Klark beat all generals, one after the other. Of course, it was not a death battle, but it is still _very_ impressive."

"She is so impressive, the mighty Leksa gave land from her native Trikru to Skaikru," Clarke spared a glance towards Lexa whose jaw was tensed as she glared at Nia, "Not one clan was offered that. You gave us two options. Join or die. Yet, we outnumber Skaikru by thousands and you chose to give them trading rights and miles of fertile land."

"Erid," Nia said to the Sankru general, "What was your leader told by Leksa when he requested a part of more fertile land?"

"Lek– Heda refused," Erid said glancing at Lexa before looking at the crowd, "We asked for a sliver of what Skaikru has and we were denied. Skaikru does not deserve what they have been given and they certainly do not deserve to be in the Coalition!"

The noise following Erid's speech was deafening. Some insults and taunts were hurled their way, but Clarke chose to ignore that in favour of scanning the crowd for any threats. People were getting way too riled up.

"Sankru is given higher priority than any other clan when it comes to natural resources!" Lexa had seemingly had enough, "Your people were dying after Azgeda and Ingronarona poisoned your oases. Did you forget it was the resources of Floukru and Trikru that saved your people, Erid?"

Erid seemed to have lost all her bluster, "No, Heda–"

"Did you forget that it was _me_ who saved the lives of your army when Azgeda attacked?"

"I–"

"You do not know what you speak of," Lexa cut Erid off again cutting her down to size, "Trade with Skaikru has benefited most, if not all, the clans greatly. Every choice I make as Commander is for the betterment of our people. Inducting Skaikru is exactly the same."

Lexa was breathing a little heavier after she was done talking. Her chastisement seemed to have sucked the fight right out of the room. Clarke was sure her wonder was obvious as Lexa seemed to take her in, her eyes almost fully black now.

Everyone seemed to have been swayed by Lexa's passion and brutal honesty.

"Lies."

Almost everyone.

"You are not doing this for us," Nia said scowling as if she'd stepped in something, "That is the biggest lie you have said all day. You are doing this for her."

Of course, Nia, as evidenced by her pointing finger, was referring to Clarke.

"What now," Bellamy muttered under his breath and Clarke could taste his annoyance for Nia's grandiose demeanour.

"I believe Wanheda has some sway over our mighty Heda," Nia spoke slowly but that only seemed to add to her words, "Why else would she go so far for a people numbering less than a thousand?"

"Is it fear?" Nia said as she stalked towards Lexa who was still standing in front of her throne, "Do you think you could not beat her if worst came to worst?"

"Is it guilt?" Nia said staring directly into Lexa's eyes, "You left her alone with our greatest enemies and she beat them instead of working with them. Does that make you feel like the pathetic leader you truly are?"

Clarke caught sight of Lexa's fists tightening at her side. She looked towards Luna who met her gaze and once again shook her head. Nia's next words were soft. So soft Clarke instinctively enhanced her hearing to hear what was now a private conversation between Nia and Lexa.

"I know what it is," Nia whispered confusing the occupants of the room, "You didn't kill me after I sent you that fake head of Costia. You punished Anya for failing to keep her safe. Yet, when the Sky Princess brings back your former lover, you try to kill her."

"Ontari told me everything," Nia's words were dark and evil like some sort of poison, "Klark dove between Costia and your sword and you _froze_. You did not freeze when you killed my youngest daughter in front of her children. You did not freeze when you killed any of your fellow novitiates. And you did not freeze when you cut down all the civilians between you and your army's target."

"The reason you are doing all of this for Skaikru is the same reason Costia sleeps on a different floor to you," Nia smiled right in front of Lexa's face, "You _want_ her. No...that is too simple. You are weak. You could never handle your station. You _need_ her. How pathetic. I'll make her death as slow as you made Vega's."

Lexa had heard enough. Clarke was the first to see a dagger drop out of Lexa's sleeve and at the same time Nia seemed to be reaching for a weapon within her robes as well.

A fight could not and would not break out in here. Not if Clarke had her way.

Nia and Lexa had drawn their respective daggers and were clearly about to attack each other. Clarke sprinted to the two leaders and she was able to step in between them and catch Nia by the wrist of her dagger arm.

The dagger cut into Clarke's skin, but the cut was healed immediately even as black blood spread over the blade. Clarke pushed the ice queen back with her free hand as she let go of her grasp on the arm holding the dagger. Nia stumbled back amidst the clamour that Nia's attack had caused.

"You are not fit to be Commander!" Nia said her voice losing any and all poise as her face flushed from a mix of anger and humiliation, "Even now you need Wanheda to protect you!"

"Issue the challenge," Lexa said as she glared at Nia who smirked upon hearing Lexa's words.

"It is not only me who is dissatisfied with your rule," Nia said as she gestured towards the generals, "We believe your reign has come to an end."

"Who stands with Nia?" Lexa said and it was one, two until finally six generals stood behind her.

Ontari was not a surprise and if Clarke were being honest neither were the majority of the others. Quint and Livia were both firm in their dissent for all things Skaikru especially when it came to Clarke. Erid, too, had been open about her distaste for the favouritism Skaikru had apparently been shown.

The only true surprises were Remus who Clarke would have expected to side with Lexa and Sagan who definitely did not fit the profile of Nia's crew. The other generals had not moved at all which was reassuring for the most part.

"You believe I am not fit to lead," Lexa questioned her generals drawing curt nods, "So which one of you will fight me?"

"None of them will," Nia said quickly as if she had been expecting this, "You could kill the generals and cripple the clans that were brave enough to stand against you. No, we have other warriors who are not as high-ranking but just as strong as the generals. Do you accept, Lexa?"

"Heda, it would be my honout–"

"Enough, Akeri," Lexa said as she dismissed the Lake Clan general, "I will do this on my own. No one fights for me. I will fight all your warriors and cleanse the Coalition of their filth."

"Strong words," Nia said unperturbed by Lexa's insult, "I hope you remain so confident when you face them all at once."

Clarke gasped once she heard that. Lexa had to fight them all at once? This was a deathmatch and Lexa was outnumbered by six to one. Clarke knew it was no small order to win this one and Lexa could come out of it seriously hurt.

"You are all dismissed," Lexa said drawing Clarke out of her thoughts, "The challenge will be at the pit by noon. That gives you over two hours to send your men to their death."

Clarke stared at Lexa who seemed unafraid of what laid ahead. She stood tall as slowly the room began to empty out. Soon, only Luna, Gaia and Skaikru were left in the room.

"You must be out of your mind," Luna said as she stormed towards Lexa, "This will only push the clans further apart no matter the result. Conflict is not the answer, Lexa."

"I am not like you, Luna," Lexa said her voice a mix of anger and sadness as she met Luna's furious gaze, "I will always fight. That is why I am Heda. If I die, my spirit will choose the next Commander correctly."

"I do not care about who the next Commander is," Luna practically spat in Lexa's face, "I care about you. Seven Commanders have fallen to the challenge including _him_. Are you really so careless about your own life?"

It was quite a novel experience for Clarke to see how Luna and Lexa interacted. They obviously valued each other a lot, but they were like night and day when it came to certain topics. Luna, as strong as she was, hated conflict which was obviously in opposition to Lexa's beliefs.

Luna had obviously been burnt by the beliefs that the Grounders held while Lexa was still a stickler for most of them. It bothered Clarke that Lexa was so flippant about her upcoming trial. Nia would pick the group of people with the best chance of beating Lexa.

That didn't sit well with Clarke at all.

"Clarke," Bellamy said walking up to the three women, "We should probably go."

Clarke was about to respond, but she was forced to act as Luna reached for Bellamy. Clarke stepped in between the two of them turning her back to Bellamy.

"You left Madi alone!" Luna was practically shaking with anger as she glared at Bellamy, "She could have been taken or hurt or killed! If something had happened to her–"

Clarke put her hands on Luna's shoulders which at least drew her attention away from Bellamy. Out of the corner of her eye, Clarke could feel Lexa staring at her whilst Gaia took the chance to speak to Lexa.

"Bellamy, you guys should go back to my room. Now. Don't speak or stop for anything or anyone."

"Yes, ma'am," Bellamy said as he went back to tell the others. Soon, they were gone as the large doors closed with a loud boom. It was now only the two of them as well as Lexa and Gaia in the room.

"Luna, please don't blame him," Clarke said turning back to the matter at hand, "He knows he made a mistake with Madi, but this isn't what we need right now. There's bigger issues ahead. We have to remain calm and work together."

"How can you say that?" Luna said while Bellamy chose to remain silent, "First you were in danger, then Madi and now Lexa. Everyone I hold dear is in danger and you want me to stay calm?"

"That's exactly what I want," Clarke said with no hesitation, "You're important not just to Floukru, but to Madi, to Lexa and to me. I don't want you to get angry and do something that could backfire on you."

Clarke was able to catch Lexa's eye as Gaia walked away, their conversation seemingly over. Lexa's eyes flitted back and forth between Clarke and Luna before her expression seemed to tighten up.

"You're right," Luna said and it was one of the few times Clarke could tell Luna was just exhausted, "I do not like where things are going. My people have been here before. It always ends the same way."

There was a flash of movement to Clarke's right and she frowned as she saw Lexa walk away briskly clearly not in the mood to speak to anyone. Clarke would have to find her before the challenge began

"How?" Clarke was a bit distracted, but Luna seemed to miss it as she gave the answer Clarke knew was coming.

"War."

* * *

**Author notes:**

**First things first, sorry for the massive delay. Life has been a little rough for the past few weeks and I mean _rough_. I won't bore y'all with the details, but money was pretty tight lol.**

**I was also lazy though so that's my fault, this sat on about 4K words for a few weeks and then I stopped again at 6K words.**

**I managed to include a POV from Raven who is one of faves and she'll have a bigger role than anywhere previously in the story which is nice for those of you that like her.**

**I also gave a small snippet of Madi and Clarke having a small heart-to-heart with each other. Kids are hard to write, but I feel like Grounder kids, in general, are pretty mature. Perks of a post-apocalyptic world that is ridden with strife and war.**

**The next arc is really heating up and the next chapter is a BIG one. There's one arc after all this and that one will be juicy as all hell so stick around.**

**Please tell me what you thought and I made a subreddit in case you have any general questions for me or anything really that you don't want to include in your comments.**

**It's r/whiteleopard1124 and my username is leopardchief.**

**Anyways, I hope you guys and your families stay safe. This virus is a worsening problem so try to be part of the solution and not the problem.**

**Stay safe, happy belated birthday to America for all my American readers. Let's hope you guys make it to the next one.**


	23. Ruse

**This one came out a lot quicker than usual. I hope you guys enjoy it.**

* * *

"War," Luna's tone was as firm as it was haunted, "That's the only way these problems will go away once and for all."

Clarke felt as though the weight of a mountain had been dropped onto her shoulders– the irony of that wasn't lost on her either. Skaikru had stakes in this dispute. Half of Clarke's friends had been abducted and she wouldn't rest until they were found.

"Can we go somewhere private?" Clarke asked Luna who nodded immediately.

The throne room was maybe not the best place to have what was bound to be a heavy conversation. Luna gestured for Clarke to follow and so she trailed just behind Luna as they weaved through the many hallways of the tower.

There were a few tower servants or delegation members who seemed to eye them with interest. That was nothing new, though, when it came to Clarke and the Grounders so she did her best to appear apathetic to it all.

They went down a flight of stairs and it was then that Clarke realised that Luna was taking her to the floor assigned to the Coalition. It was pretty bold to do so especially so soon after the meeting.

It was as big of a statement as Luna could make without actually making one.

Clarke was certain that the consensus is Skaikru was certain to side with Trikru. Luna inviting Clarke to her room would confirm where Floukru stood as well. The clan itself wasn't strong, but Luna was a game-changer.

It could serve to sway more people towards the Coalition if they saw two nightbloods willing to work together for another nightblood. A vast departure from what the Conclave had taught the clans.

Finally, they reached Luna's door and after they both entered Luna shut the door. The room was smaller than Clarke's by quite a lot and so Clarke chose to sit down on a bed.

As Luna locked the door, Clarke took in the room. Oddly, it seemed to have a few personal effects like sketches, paintings and other trinkets laying around whereas Clarke's room had been void of anything like that.

"This was my room when I was a novitiate," Luna said before smiling at Clarke's surprised reaction.

"I hate your power so much," Clarke said as Luna sat down on a chair, "Emotion sensing shouldn't be a thing."

"I did not use my power," Luna said staring into Clarke's eyes, "I would never use it without your permission. You know that."

"I do."

"I am sorry for parading you like an animal," Luna said as her eyes softened, "I don't want you to think I'm using, but Floukru–"

Clarke put her hand on Luna's knee, "I understand. You had to show them which side you were on. I'm not mad. I would have done the same thing."

Clarke stared into Luna's eyes before there was a subtle shift in the room. She ignored the urge to move closer to Luna as instead, she leaned away. Luna's eyes seemed to lose a bit of their light, but Clarke dismissed that as foolish.

Lexa may have been right about Costia's feelings, but she was dead wrong about Luna's. They were just close friends and something akin to parents to Madi.

That was enough. For sure. Definitely.

"Is Lexa going to win?" Clarke felt like biting her tongue at the blunt question, but as always Luna did not seem to mind.

"Undoubtedly," Luna's answer was quick, "It will not be easy, but she will win. She always does. There is a reason she unified the clans. You are only worried because you have not seen her fight."

There was a myriad of reasons why Clarke was worried and despite her heart screaming at her to tell Luna, she did not. It would only complicate matters between the three of them and things were complicated enough as it were.

"The more important matter is the war, and how your people fit into it," Luna said and Clarke frowned upon hearing that word again, "It is safe to say Lexa's actions at the Mountain would not have endeared to your people."

The "or you" went unsaid.

Just a few days ago, Clarke would have readily agreed with Luna's assumption. Now, after the Costia situation, the argument with Lexa and the prospect of a terrible war, Clarke did not know where exactly she and Lexa stood.

That uncertainty seemed to be the story of her life at the moment.

"Skaikru will fall in line," Clarke said her tone firm, "This is bigger than Mount Weather. This is life or death. You have nothing to worry about from them."

"I am worried about some of your friends," Luna said her tone a bit hesitant, "Your friend, _Raven_, she was rather open with her distaste for Lexa. It might make her a target from both sides, but for different reasons. Have you two settled your differences?"

"Not exactly," Clarke said a bit helplessly, "I know you and my friends don't get on well, but you can trust them all. If you don't trust them then trust me."

Luna dropped the issue immediately as soon as Clarke finished talking. Luna was one-half of the reason why Clarke was in a better place now. It had taken months, but they trusted each other fully. Clarke had spent more time with Luna and Madi on the rig than she had spent time away from it while on Earth.

Her relationship with Luna was something Clarke would never do anything to jeopardise. No matter how much it hurt her. That was just how much she valued the other woman.

"What about you?" Clarke said carefully well aware of how touchy this subject was, "Will you fight?"

Luna was silent. Her eyes dropped to the ground and her hands balled into fists. Luna's body language was stiff and coiled as if ready to lash out at some invisible foe.

"I don't know, Klark," Luna had slipped into Trigedasleng something she hardly ever did around Clarke despite her now-perfect understanding of it, "Sometimes, I still see Sol's face. My sword through his chest...the blood...I don't even know what his last words were...Why did you stay? Why didn't you leave when you heard what I did to Sol?"

The situation Clarke was in was not exactly comfortable ground for her. She had comforted Luna before, but that was on the rig where their demons were far away.

Here in Polis, their demons were shadowing their every move.

"Look at me," Clarke said bunching her fingers into Luna's, "You are a victim of a cruel world. This place changes you. The things I've done will stick him for the rest of my life. We deserve to be happy."

"You did that to save others," Luna was still stating at the ground, "I killed my brother to save myself and then I _ran_. He died for nothing! Why can't you see that? I feel so cold and empty on the inside."

"You don't know that," Clarke said tightening her grasp on Luna's hands, "You could have lost the Conclave or been assassinated as Heda or anything else, but that didn't happen. You've taken in warriors tired of fighting and given them a home. You helped Floukru survive and prosper under the Coalition."

"We saved Madi from a life of suffering," Clarke said and Luna finally looked back up at her. It was a near-perfect reversal of their talk before the meeting. Luna was so good at helping and comforting others, Clarke forgot that Luna needed the same treatment she gave out so freely.

Clarke disentangled her fingers from Luna's bringing them up to Luna's face, "You saved me from myself. That's why I stayed, Luna. I don't care if you choose to fight or not. That would never change anything between us."

Clarke could feel Luna trembling beneath her and in all honesty, Clarke wasn't sure if it was Luna who was shaking or her. The tension from their talk just a few days ago had returned will full force and no warning.

Yet, there was nothing to be done. Luna and Clarke were friends and there was a war brewing. There was no time for something like this. This was stupid. She should just leave.

Despite that playing on a loop in her mind, Clarke slowly leaned forward. Luna mirrored Clarke before finally, she pressed a kiss to Luna's lips. It began deep as Luna pushed herself against Clarke. Luna groaned sending fire across Clarke's very being.

Clarke pushed Luna down to the bed as she straddled her. She pressed herself flush against Luna even as she kept her grip on Luna's hair and neck. Luna's body was a tantalising mix of hard and soft which only excited Clarke even more.

Luna ran her arms up and down the back of Clarke's thighs before pausing at the top and squeezing. Clarke moaned into Luna's mouth, but it was swallowed up by Luna. Her hands kept trailing and teasing Clarke's thighs and legs much to her delight.

Clarke felt her heart begin to race before she, regretfully pulled back to face Luna. Luna's eyes were almost pure black as she stared into Clarke's eyes. Their breath felt hot against each other and the warmth of Luna's body made Clarke feel vibrant and alive.

A part of Clarke wondered why she had done that. It felt selfish and exploitative and wrong and yet it felt like the best thing she could have done.

Luna was so very important to Clarke and she couldn't help but feel the urge to comfort her. The rest had been her body operating almost on its own. As much Luna had seemed to want it, Clarke wanted it just as much.

"You aren't some empty husk," Clarke said her hands still gripping onto Luna's neck and hair, "You are so much more than you know, Luna. Don't ever think otherwise again."

Clarke sort of leaned into Luna. It was halfway between a hug and also laying on top of Luna too. Clarke had been so focused on her own issues with Skaikru and Lexa that she had neglected what Luna was going through. The least she could do was let Luna know that she wasn't alone.

Clarke's own issues were boiling just underneath her skin, but she owed it to Luna and to Madi and to her people (and to Lexa) to keep them under control. Clarke had to push them down and deal with them later.

Unfortunately, Clarke had to separate from Luna who had wrapped her arms around her, "I need to go. I'm sending everyone back to Arkadia for the fight. If something happens, we'll be prime targets."

"That would be wise," Luna said her voice soft, "I–just stay safe, Clarke. Not just for Skaikru, or Madi or Lexa, but for me. If I lose you too–"

"You won't," Clarke said forcing herself to sound confident, "I had this conversation with Madi already. I won't let anything happen to me. The same goes for you, Luna. You're important to us."

"I know."

Clarke wanted to stay here with Luna away from the real world, but that wasn't an option. Not anymore.

"This was a mistake," Clarke said and she rushed to finish as she saw Luna's face drop.

"That came out wrong. I enjoyed what we did," Clarke said lacing her hands with Luna's, "_A lot._ I just think now's a bad time with everything and also I still have some very confusing feelings for–"

"Lexa."

Clarke's words died in her mouth at that. Was she that obvious? Did anyone else see it?

Luna sounded a touch upset as she spoke, "You would say her name while you were sleeping. You also said mine and months ago, you said Roma's too. You sounded so sad when saying her name. It hurt me."

Luna smiled sadly, "It was not hard to see the link after you told me about Roma."

"Luna, I still–"

"Calm down," Luna said her smile a mix of sad and happy, "You've given me a mile when I wanted an inch. I will support you in whatever you choose, Clarke. Choose what is best for you. Once we deal with everything."

Clarke did not know what to say. What did you say to someone in a situation like this?

"Thank you, Luna," Clarke said hugging her tightly once more before standing to leave, "I-I wish things were simpler."

"So do I."

* * *

The top level of the tower was as empty as Luna had said it would be. Clarke didn't need to use the eyes of an eagle or ears of a dog to verify that. Hardly anyone was allowed up here apparently.

The stairways were all guarded by multiple guards and the elevator did not even go all the way to the top. Clarke was somewhat sure she could have gone past the guards, but they could have held her up or caused a scene.

It was easier to just jump out a window and fly up. Her invisibility cloak had been turned on just in case anyone was looking at the massive bonfire atop the tower.

The design and decor of this floor were different from the rest of the tower. The flooring and walls were almost sparkling and there were various decorative items.

Worn statues of a woman in a bulky armour holding a spherical object in her head. Paintings of what Clarke could only assume were past commanders as well as scenes from past battles.

A few stood out to Clarke. There was the pile of bodies outside a giant metal door while orange mist hung in the air. The first major battle between Mount Weather and the Grounders. The battle that led to the splintering of the first Coalition.

How fitting.

There was also a drawing of a woman with black hair and black eyes that Clarke did not recognise, but her gentle demeanour stuck out from the severe expressions of the Commanders surrounding her.

This was the only drawing to be behind a glass cover and it had a frame encrusted with actual jewels and gold. She was either a very important figure or just well-loved by the people who had survived.

Still, though, the woman's face lingered in Clarke's mind.

Finally, Clarke came to the last painting. This one was newer than all the others, but it was not its recency that made it stick out.

The subject of the photo had vibrant green eyes and luscious brown hair. A cogwheel was placed between her brows and she had black facepaint akin to tear trails. She stood holding two swords in her hands as she stared off towards an unseen adversary.

Without knowing why Clarke trailed her hand on the painting of Lexa. The canvas was surprisingly smooth to the touch and the paint did not flake off. A shaft of sunlight made the colours pop only enhancing the beauty of the piece of art.

"It's quite beautiful, isn't it?"

Clarke turned her hand to the source of the voice. The blue psionic energy faded away just as quickly as it had appeared upon seeing who had snuck up on her. Clarke did not lower hand, though, as she stared at Gaia.

"You can relax, Wan–Clarke," Gaia seemed to catch herself, "I know why you are here."

"You aren't going to call the guards?" Clarke asked prompting Gaia to shake her head.

"They could not stop you," Gaia said and it was that piece of honesty that made Clarke drop her arm, "Heda is not in her room. She is busy with something. I can take you if you wish."

Clarke stared at Gaia with a fair amount of suspicion. She was a lot more agreeable than Titus had been which was a nice surprise. Clarke was beginning to think being a prominent figure in the Coalition came with being a prick.

"Lead the way," Clarke felt like she could trust Gaia and apparently Gaia felt the same as she immediately turned her back on Clarke and walked away.

They walked in silence for a bit before Gaia spoke, "I hear you went to see the leader of Floukru."

"I did," Clarke said her voice just a bit terse. It seemed like Luna was right about them making waves.

"You already know her from your time together after the Mountain," Gaia said prompting a nod from Clarke, "Normally, Luna would have brought someone like you to Polis. Yet, you stayed with her for months on end. Why is that?"

"Nightbloods stick together, don't they?" Clarke said drily which unfortunately drew a laugh from Gaia, "What's so funny?"

"You affect the people around you, for better or worse, and you fail to see it," Gaia said slowing to a stop prompting Clarke to do the same.

"I guess you are right about natblida sticking together," Gaia said and it was with a tone that filled Clarke with dread, "Otherwise, Madi would probably not be here."

There was a loud thump as Clarke slammed Gaia against a wall. The Flamekeeper didn't even seem fazed and Clarke frowned when she saw the pink glow to Gaia's eyes.

"You are still very impulsive," Gaia said her voice only straining slightly, "My power told me you would attack me no matter what I said about Madi."

Clarke glared into Gaia's eyes before finally stepping away. Gaia dropped down the floor and cleared her throat a bit. She then took a moment to compose herself before speaking.

"You are extremely strong, Clarke," Gaia said and Clarke could sense the second part of the sentence already, "However, you are still too impulsive and wildly so. The pyres for those you killed at Mount Weather burned for over a week."

"What's your point?" Clarke said crossing her arms.

"You have not been in a real war," Gaia said, "They are not just one big battle. They are long and numerous and arduous. Lexa will have to do stuff you may not agree with. I do not know if you are ready for that."

It clicked.

"You think I would betray Lexa?" Gaia remained silent giving Clarke her answer, "I am _not_ like that. You may think your psychic powers tell you everything, but you are wrong. There's so much you don't know and won't know until it's too late."

Clarke eased the distaste in her voice as she saw blue energy began to emanate from her. She reigned her power in before looking at Gaia.

"This is about the Mountain," Clarke said and Gaia's face said it all, "I'll only say this once. I am _furious_ about being betrayed. Lexa did that, not me. I am still mad about it, but I understand why she did it. You should just hope and pray Skaikru doesn't get betrayed a second time."

Gaia, to her credit, kept a blank face before speaking, "I see. I apologise for overstepping. I worry about Heda. It is not my place to say this, but a betrayal by you would hurt Heda immeasurably. She truly cares for you."

Clarke felt like enquiring more about what Gaia said, but she chose not to. It would only serve to worsen the storm of emotions within Clarke. Clarke felt like she was being pulled two different ways and the only thing worse was the dread she felt at having to make a choice.

"I know. I–" Clarke caught herself as she remembered Gaia was a stranger, "Take me to her."

This time, they walked in complete silence. There were quite a few turns before Clarke finally heard Lexa's voice. She was speaking in Trigedasleng, but the question was to who?

They reached a semi-open door and Clarke raised her eyebrows as she saw a group of children congregated before Lexa. The sheer affection and adulation in their eyes reminded Clarke a lot of her and Luna with Madi.

_"The greatest attribute any Commander can have is courage. The courage to stand against impossible odds. The courage to do what is best for their people no matter the cost. The courage to accept and embrace the burden that comes with being Commander. When I die, my spirit will be there to guide you in your role as Commander."_

Clarke's mouth fell open as she realised who the children. These were the nightbloods. They looked so young. The oldest could not have been more than 12. How could he be ready to lead?

"I see you know who they are," Gaia said causing Clarke to nod, "Then you must keep Madi safe. Lexa will not push the issue, but these are not normal times. Some people may be feeling rather...bold."

Gaia didn't even Clarke a chance to process as she walked into the room. The occupants of the room turned to them in surprise and Clarke felt singled out as everyone seemed to zero in on her in particular.

"Children, greet Chancellor Clarke," Lexa said a measure of surprise on her unmarked face.

The nightbloods all rose to their feet before they greeted Clarke with a mix of enthusiasm and respect. They remained standing as Lexa turned to them once more.

"Tell Chancellor Clarke what is to become of Skaikru should you become Commander," Lexa said and the only thing that surprised Clarke more than the order was the vehement reply.

"Skaikru are our allies," the children said in unison, "They have earned eternal gratitude from the Commander for felling the Mountain and it shall be my duty as Commander to repay that debt by keeping them safe."

Clarke was stunned. She stared at Lexa whose face was slightly nervous. It was a sincere gesture that Clarke wasn't expecting, but perhaps what twisted the knife deeper was the thought of Lexa's death. Why and how could she be so open with the prospect of her death?

"I-Thank you," Clarke said turning to the children, "That means a lot."

"Gaia, please show Clarke to my quarters," Lexa said a smile on her face, "I will be right there."

Just like that, they were leaving again. Clarke looked over her shoulder and she met Lexa's eyes who immediately looked back towards the novitiates. It was a short walk to the room and Gaia left her outside.

"You can go inside," Gaia said half turned away, "I have to return to take over from Heda."

Having said her piece, Gaia turned on her heel walking the way they had just come from. Clarke turned to the massive wooden doors which were slightly ajar before letting herself in.

"Lexa, we–Oh. Clarke. What a surprise."

Fantastic.

"Costia," Clarke said in greeting and her gaze became wary as she took in Costia's state. Her eyes were puffy and red as she sat at the foot of Lexa's bed.

Costia wore a blue front-closing dress that was tight around the body but flowed around the arms giving Costia an alluring look. Her hair was also stylishly done up and Clarke could smell her perfume as it hung in the air.

"What is all this?" Clarke said as she looked at the woman in distress, "Look, Lexa called me here–"

"Am I not good enough for either of you?" Costia said as she began pacing around, "Lexa left me for dead and I _threw_ myself at you and you pushed me away. Why!"

Costia picked up a vase and before Clarke could react, she chucked it straight down at the ground. The vase shattered instantly and the shards flew everywhere. Costia then flipped a table sending its contents all across the floor.

"What the hell?" Clarke said under her breath as Costia seemed to just flip a switch.

Costia made to pick something else up, but Clarke had had enough. She sped towards Costia and took away what Costia had been holding before pinning her on the bed.

Clarke was straddling Costia while she pinned the unstable woman's arms above her head. Costia fought all the while she was in Clarke's grip screaming and shouting.

Clarke turned to the side as she thought she heard. It turned out to only be some of the trinkets on the floor that were still moving around. Clarke turned back to Costia whose right hand was now oozing blood.

"Costia, stop!" Clarke all but screamed in her face, "You're bleeding. It must have been from the vase. Let me heal you."

Costia stopped almost immediately as she looked up at Clarke. Her eyes seemed to stare into Clarke's soul even as they leaked tears. They trailed down Costia's face which only enhanced her undeniable beauty.

Clarke climbed off of Costia and sat down on a chair that was facing away from the door. Costia slowly sat up before looking at Clarke her body sapped of any and all energy. Clarke could not help, but feel pity for Costia.

Is this what years of confinement and torture amounted to?

"You're perfect, Clarke," Costia said her voice drained and tired and sad, "I wanted to surprise Lexa, but then I heard you come this way. All I've heard in Polis was your name. All I saw when I slept was your face. You saved my life. Twice. I was dressed like this for you."

A feeling of dread filled Clarke as Costia rose to her feet and stood before Clarke. Costia erased the space between them to just under a foot before she pulled the catch on the front of her dress.

There was a soft thump from behind Costia before Clarke stood up and, being mindful of Costia's wound, gently tried to close her dress. The top part or bodice of the dress had been opened revealing Costia's bare chest. Costia seemed to resist Clarke's every move with startling strength.

Clarke realised Costa was enhancing her strength in a bid to fight Clarke off. This was the level of desperation she had reached and all Clarke could feel while looking down on Costia was pity.

Costia kept trying to open it more and finally, Clarke once again straddled Costia before pinning the woman's arms above her head. This seemed to only please Costia who smiled up at Clarke. Clarke tried to ignore it as she focused on healing the surprisingly severe wound on Costia's arm.

"I know you hate Lexa, Clarke," Costia said her voice lowering a few octaves, "This is your best chance at revenge. She is a monster! She betrayed both of us. She will betray us again if she does not die out there. You wanted to heal me? This is how you can heal me."

Clarke had been focusing half her energy on healing Costia while the other half was taken up by the insidious words spewing out of Costia's mouth. That was probably why she had not heard Lexa enter the room at all.

"Clarke? Costia?"

Clarke scrambled off of Costia realising just how that scene looked. Costia did not seem to share the same sense of urgency as she slowly did up her top and purposely brushed past Clarke full-on despite there being more than enough space to get past.

"Excuse me."

Two words full of clear amusement and relish, Costia was gone. She shut the door behind her leaving Clarke and a still-frozen Lexa behind. The second the door shut Clarke tried to explain. Keyword being tried.

"It was not–"

Lexa held her hand up silencing Clarke.

"It was not what it looked like?" Lexa said tilting her head to the side, "Do you think I am stupid?"

"What do you w-want from me, Clarke?" Lexa said her voice cracking which sent a bolt of pain through Clarke's chest, "Do you want to torture me? Do you want me dead?"

"No–"

"So, why can you not just tell me what you want?" Lexa said and she could not quite conceal her emotions as the epitome of a pained expression crossed her face.

"This is the second time I have caught you with Costia," Lexa said breathing deep and heavy, "Is this because of the Mountain? Did you two plan this just to hurt me? Why would you do something so cruel? In the bed, Costia and I used to share?"

Clarke found herself powerless to talk. The raw emotion and pain pouring from Lexa rendered her silent. She felt like she was watching a building collapse and no matter what she said or did, it would all come tumbling to the ground.

"Why do you want to hurt me so badly?"

A faint bell rang in the distance. The bells went off every hour in Polis. There was now only at most an hour before Lexa had to fight for her life and for the life of the Coalition.

"Please leave," Lexa said trying and failing to reach the same level of stoicism Clarke was used to, "I have to prepare for the fight."

Lexa turned to go towards one of her closets and Clarke walked towards her in a bid to reassure. She nearly slipped on a small dagger with a black blade before catching herself. She placed her hand on Lexa's shoulder who drifted away from her touch as if poisoned.

"There is nothing more to say, Clarke," Lexa said as she stared at Clarke, "I understand. I betrayed you and you felt the need to hurt me as I hurt you and you succeeded. Skaikru will still be safe, but we are done."

Clarke frowned at the bite in Lexa's words. To think that they had gone from being on the same page to being worlds apart hurt Clarke immensely. A part of her was still resentful at how she was left high and dry at Mount Weather.

Yet, another part of her could not and would not get the tent

"Of course, you can–"

The sound of someone approaching the door with some speed silenced Clarke's outburst. The person stopped at the door before knocking rapidly.

"Heda," Gaia's muffled voice filled the room, "The generals have taken it upon themselves to move up the challenge. The majority of the people are already gathered in the pit."

"I will be there soon, Gaia."

That seemed to be enough for Gaia who walked away just as urgently as she had come. Lexa turned towards Clarke her face settled into a frown.

"Please just go," Lexa said her voice drained, "You have made your feelings clear to me. I will not hold it against you if you decide to stay away from this mess. Nia will have planned this for years now. Skaikru will be safe from harm."

Clarke reached out to touch Lexa, but her froze in midair. Clarke tried to push forward but only succeeded in moving it forward a few inches. It was then that she realised Lexa was holding her hand up.

So this was how it felt to have your blood used against you.

"I know you would not join Nia's side," Lexa said and right before Clarke's eyes the stoic facade returned in full force, "May we meet again."

Clarke was given full control of her body, but she chose to turn on her heel and book it to her friends. There was no chance of Clarke abandoning the Coalition especially at a time like this.

She'd sooner die than let her inaction cause someone dear to her to get hurt.

The doors to Lexa's room shut behind her and Clarke prepared to have what was bound to be a difficult conversation with her friends.

* * *

The door to her room was already open so Clarke was able to hear the voices of her friends as they spoke frantically. Octavia and Bellamy seemed to be on the verge of an argument when Clarke walked in.

"I know I'm late and I'm sorry," Clarke said as she stepped inside, "We don't have the time to argue. I need you guys to stay up here for the fight."

"What about you?" Bellamy asked showing surprising restraint, "You can't go down there alone, Clarke. You're our friend. You'd be massively outnumbered out there."

"It's an order," Clarke said pushing down the guilt she felt for pulling rank, "You guys are the best Skaikru has to offer. If even one of you gets hurt then we'll have trouble."

"You do know we'd still be trapped in a warzone if something happened?" Raven pointed out her tone having an edge to it and Clarke paused for a second before gesturing for everyone to move back.

They did so and Clarke drew a wide circle in the air. A portal formed in the air and through it, Clarke could see Arkadia and its people going about their day.

"If things go bad then I want all of you to go through this portal," Clarke said leaving no room for negotiation, "If you want to close the portal then you just need to disrupt the boundary. Don't use anything you want to keep intact."

To prove her point, Clarke made a sword of light and slashed through the portal. The portal immediately shut close. Clarke held up the sword she had made revealing it to be cut clean in half before dispelling it.

Clarke heard the sounds of drums beating in the distance. The challenge was starting soon. Clarke made another portal and this was in the corner of the room to give them space to move around.

"I have to go," Clarke said before she crouched and pulled Madi into a tight hug, "I'll be back. That's a promise."

Madi didn't say anything, but Clarke was glad to see that her words had resonated within Madi. She was young but brave and Clarke was certain Madi would keep her head on right.

"Stay safe, Clarke," Octavia said surprising her with a hug, "You're strong, but we still worry about you."

Clarke avoided the gaze of her friends feeling her cheeks warm up, "Thanks, guys."

Octavia's words putting her in a better mood than she had been in. The day had already been filled with a lot of highs and lows and it was set to continue with Lexa's fight.

Clarke turned and left before her friends could sense the sheer turmoil she was feeling. They did not need to be worry about yet another thing. She had things under control.

Clarke had forgone wearing the armour she had made, but it would be easy to convert her current clothes into armour. It only took a few seconds before Clarke jumped out one of the broken windows in the hallway.

She controlled her fall with bursts of air from her hand and feet, choosing to forgo her wings. She landed lightly by the Tower's entrance into an empty street. Clarke looked around her and Polis was deserted except for the noise coming from the pit.

"The citizens are hiding," said Anya walking outside the tower, "They are in their homes waiting for the result. There will still be a lot watching the challenge. Entertainment is hard to come for many of them."

Clarke shook Anya by the arm which was returned by the other woman, "You don't sound worried."

"Lexa will live," Anya said her tone certain, "The Coalition will not."

There it was again.

"Where is Raven? And your friends?"

"I'm keeping them away from the danger," Clarke said as the sound of the raucous audience began to get louder, "They would be prime targets."

"Good choice," Anya said before putting her hand on Clarke's shoulder, "Let's go and be ready for anything."

They disappeared in a cloud of smoke before they reappeared in an arena somewhat similar to the one Clarke had fought in. The only difference was that there was no elevated platform.

"What is this place?" Clarke asked Anya as they moved their way to the front, "It seems too old to have been made today."

"This is where the Conclave is held," Anya said before pointing to one of the higher seats.

It was a private booth of sorts and the generals were all seated in large chairs. There were two rows of seven seats and Luna was seated at the bottom left.

The generals took up twelve seats and the last two were taken up by Gaia and Nia. Luna seemed to be antsy as she fiddled with the arm of her chair. Clarke wished she could go speak to her, but that would draw unnecessary attention.

There was a cheer from the crowd as six opponents made their way out from a single archway. There were two women and four men who were taking up a formation of sorts on the field below.

The man that looked the most dangerous to Clarke, though, was the Azgeda man at the extreme back of the formation. He was a head taller than everyone else and had a surly expression on his face.

"That is Prince Roan," Anya noticed where Clarke was staring, "That scum's son."

In any case, the formation the challengers took up was interesting. Roan, his face painted white and black, was as at the back and in front of him were a Sankru woman and a bald man from Ingronarona. Their respective tan and yellow facepaint gleamed in the afternoon sun.

In front of those two were two men, a Boudalan man with deep brown skin and a very thin man from Yujleda who looked more a hermit than a warrior. Finally, at the forefront of it all was a woman from Trishanakru. Her hair was bunched up behind her and she had a focused expression on her face.

"The way they're standing," Clarke said to Anya, "They must know each other strengths and weaknesses. That Trishana woman isn't at the front for no reason. Do you know any of them?"

"No," Anya's frustration saturated her tone, "I can only guess that the woman at the front will be their defender and the two behind her are close-range fighters."

Before Anya could add any more, an even larger cheer erupted from the crowd. From the opposite end of her challengers, Lexa walked out into the arena. Her face was as hard as tone and her gaze was like a knife cutting into her opponents.

Lexa wore her usual armour with one difference. That difference being the rather long sleeves that extended past her hands. There was also a multitude of weapons strapped to her body. Daggers, a throwing star and of course two swords.

Clarke was so focused on Lexa that she did not hear what Anya had said to her.

"What was that?"

"She looks angry," Anya said her gaze pinned on Lexa, "Something must have made her angry...It was probably that pest Costia. Lexa has been allowing her too much leniency out of guilt."

Clarke balled her hands into fists when she heard the contempt in Anya's voice for Costia. The pain that came with it doing nothing to erase the exhausted and sad look Lexa had on her face in Clarke's mind.

How would their...talk have affected Lexa's focus?

Gaia had risen from her seat and she now stood before a roaring flame. It was similar to the one used at Clarke's coronation.

Clarke remembered how Lexa had told her she had full confidence in Clarke winning. Lexa had been more confident than Clarke had been at the time and with their roles reversed Clarke had failed to do the same.

"A challenge has been issued to the Commander," Gaia's voice cowed the baying crowd into silence, "There are those who think she is weak and unfit for her station."

The crowd erupted into a frenzy of boos and jeers all directed at the challengers. The sheer fury seemed to get to all of them except for Roan who still seemed unfazed by it all.

"Get me to the booth," Clarke said to Anya who only hesitated for a second before complying.

They appeared at the entrance setting the guards and everyone in it on edge. Clarke walked forward and the guards tried to stop her, but a glare was all it took to give them entrance.

An order from Anya resulted in two chairs being brought out and they chose to sit next to Luna. Clarke could feel the generals staring at her, but it was Nia who spoke.

"The almighty Skaifaya," Nia's voice dripping with sarcasm, "I did not expect you to come to this. This will be violent, you know? Did you not flee to Floukru because you were too weak to handle what you did at the Mountain?"

"Clarke, don't."

Luna's warning was only audible to Clarke and despite it, all Clarke wanted to leap across the booth and teach Nia a lesson. The smug expression on the face of the Ice Queen doing nothing but stoking the flames within Clarke.

"I beat your mortal enemies all on my own," Clarke said keeping her expression even, "You have been under their thumb for centuries and I beat them in an hour. Don't start a fight you can't finish, Nia."

Nia's face froze before dropping into a cold glare. Clarke held her gaze. Unbidden, an image of Nia standing in a burning Arkadia flashed into Clarke's mind before it faded away.

Nia was still glaring at her with a furious glare and Clarke was only able to turn away once she heard Gaia call for the start of the fight. Out the corner of her eye, she saw Nia turn away and Clarke sighed as the fight began.

Neither side had moved and Clarke found herself feeling a nervous curiosity. This was the first time she would see what Lexa was made of. Everyone spoke about how strong Lexa was, but now Clarke would get to see it for herself.

It was the woman from Sankru that made the first move. She was right at the back so everybody got a clear sight of her raising her hands in a weird triangle shape. She pointed it directly at Lexa somehow having a clear view despite the people between them.

A beam of light shot out her hands before slamming into Lexa. Clarke expected Lexa to get sent flying or scream in pain, but oddly she stood her ground. The beam faded away but there was still a faint glow surrounding Lexa.

It was then that the skinny man from Yujleda made his move. The man let out a scream of effort before his right arm began to warp and morph. The arm rapidly widened and thickened as it grew rapidly in size.

The once-thin arm was now many times its previous size and length. It had also bulked up considerably and its owner drew his now-massive arm back before throwing it forward to Lexa who seemed almost rooted to the spot.

Lexa's face strained as she moved with zero grace and finesse. The veins on her neck were clearly defined showing hard she was pushing and yet she was only able to take one agonisingly slow step at a time.

"What is she doing?" Clarke said as the giant got within range of Lexa, "She needs to move,"

In the end, Lexa was only able to raise her arms before the giant fist slammed into her with a loud clap. The crowd screamed with excitement and shock and horror as their leader was sent flying through the air before rolling to a stop.

To Clarke's chagrin, Quint took it upon himself to praise his subordinate.

"Good hit, Rey!" Quint was our of his seat and clapping, "Show her the might of the Yujleda! Look, she cannot even stand!"

It was then that Clarke saw Lexa still had the white glow around her body. That first attack had done something to slow Lexa down. The penny only dropped for Clarke once she saw how Lexa battled to get to her feet.

Gravity.

Lexa could only manage to get to her hands and knees, but her limbs were trembling all the while. Nia laughed snidely at the sight and Clarke nearly turned around, but Luna stopped her by nudging her leg.

"Wait."

Lexa stopped on all fours. Her limbs were still straining and shaking wildly. Black blood was dripping from her mouth before she spat it aside. Interestingly, Lexa looked fine other than the blood that had been dripping from her mouth.

Rey's arm shrunk rapidly and Clarke raised a brow as he cradled it immediately. Clarke enhanced her vision and she blinked as she saw the mangled form of his hands.

How?

Clarke looked back towards Lexa. The white glow surrounding her was more prevalent with her enhanced vision, but Clarke was able to spy something grey wrapped around Lexa's arm.

A second later, chaos erupted.

A chain erupted from the ground right in between the challengers. The chain faked towards one of them before ultimately wrapping around the ankle of the Sankru woman that had trapped Lexa.

"Lia!" Erid shouted and she tried to jump down, but she was held back by Akeri, "She is my friend! Let me go!"

"You chose this," Akeri said pushing Erid back down into her chair, "You all did."

Clarke turned back to the field and she was shocked as Lexa stood easily now. A chain was sticking out her sleeve and it wrapped around her hand before it fed into the ground.

"She was wearing a chain this whole time?" Clarke said and again she looked ar Rey who was cradling his broken hand, "She wore it as armour."

"Brute force is not enough to beat Lexa," Luna said now a lot more relaxed, "Lia should have waited before doing that. She made herself the biggest threat."

On the field, Lexa whipped her chain up and it ripped up the earth that it had tunnelled underneath. Lia was whipped into the air and Lexa spun rapidly before slamming Lia into the ground.

There was a groan from the audience as dust was kicked up from Lia's crash landing. Her arm and leg were broken, but that apparently was not enough for Lexa.

The chain wrapped around more of Lia before bright sparks began to fizz off of Lexa's free hand. Lexa turned towards the booth and Clarke followed Lexa's gaze as it settled on Erid. A second later, Lexa fed the electricity into the chain.

Lia began to thrash and scream as the electricity coursed through her body. Furthermore, the chain seemed to be heating up as smoke emanated from it and it began to glow a dull red.

Lexa stared at Erid with a harsh glare. Lia was thrashing and screaming as the electricity fired her nerves and the chains burnt her body. Her pleas to her teammates for help fell on deaf ears. The arena was silent amplifying Lia's shouts to an eerie level.

Yet, Lexa did not falter. Her wordless order to Erid clear.

Submit.

And submit Erid did, "Heda, please stop! I am sorry! Please–"

It was a sight to see the normally calm Erid be so hysterical and in front of so many too. Lexa obliged Erid. The chain unwrapped from around Lia. The woman had burn marks in the shape of chain links all across her body and skin.

A few attendants rushed on and quickly, and rather carelessly, took Lia away. Erid left the booth immediately, but not before turning towards the generals.

"You said they would work together!" This seemed to be directed at nobody in particular until Nia spoke.

"Your friend was too weak," Nia sounded unmoved by what Lia had just gone through, "Weaklings do not deserve to be helped."

Erid's face twisted with fury, but she reigned herself in as she left the booth. Clarke assumed she was going to check on Lia. The burns Lia had sustained were not immediately life-threatening but they looked very likely to scar.

"This is your last chance to forfeit," Lexa's voice broke the silence in the arena, "If you stay, you will fall."

Lexa was staring at the generals and none of the ones involved moved. The combatants seemed just as resolved as their superiors and Rey, in particular, seemed overly eager.

His arm multiplied in size and raced towards Lexa, but Lexa was now free to move. She moved to the side of the fist before she tapped it. Similar to the battle at the Mountain, Rey's fist dropped to the floor as its mass was multiplied beyond what he could lift.

The effect seemed to have been passed along his whole body and even as his arm shrunk, the thin man was still laying on the ground in a large crater. Lexa fired a bolt of lightning at him and similar to Lia he began to scream and plead for mercy.

None was forthcoming, however. Quint remained silent as Rey begged for his help and once Lexa saw there was no help coming she increased the intensity of the bolt. Rey let out one last scream before his body collapsed.

Lexa's opponents had once again abandoned their comrade to his fate.

"Kila, stop being weak and fight!"

Livia's order spurred Kila into action and he was about to charge when his body froze. He was lifted off the ground, his limbs looking stiff and frozen. Blood was dripping from his nose in copious amounts.

Lexa had dropped her chain to the floor and was pointing her right hand at Kila. Amazingly, Kila managed to prepare an attack as out of thin air, multiple clones of himself charged at his captor.

Clarke was sure that there had to be well over two hundred of the clones.

At the same time, thick and sharp vines burst from the ground all aimed at Lexa. Clarke looked at the remaining opponents and saw the Trishana woman had her hands on the ground. The clones of Kila and vines reached Lexa at the same time.

It looked inescapable and Clarke froze as the wave flowed over Lexa. Clarke expected black blood to fly through the air as Lexa was cut into and yet that did not happen.

Lexa had drawn her sword blindingly fast and was simultaneously dodging the attacks and slicing into the clones and vines. Lexa's eyes were glowing a brilliant red as she gracefully weaved through each and every attack.

It was almost, no scratch that. Lexa seemed to know exactly how and when the attacks would come. It seemed like a variation of Clarke's Instinct but unlike Instinct, it was not automatic. Furthermore, it only seemed to work for what Lexa could see judging by the brilliant red glow to her eyes.

The last general, aside from Roan, joined the fray once the clones had all died down. He grew multiple limbs out his body and tried to use that to confuse Lexa, but it was futile.

Lexa's throat cut off his additional arms before she grabbed onto him and used him as a shield. The vines burst into various parts of his body seriously wounding him.

"Jon!" The despair in Remus' voice was palpable, "Sagan, Ema almost killed Jon. I see now that I chose wrong. Pray that he survives this or Trishanakru shall face Boudalan's wrath."

Remus, much like Erid, left as a few brave attendants managed to extract his body. The only three left were Kila, Ema and Roan who had not moved at all.

Kila was once again caught by Lexa's blood control and he screamed as blood flowed out his nose and mouth and eyes before he froze up. His body fell to the ground in a heap.

Two left. Clarke looked back towards Nia and the frown of displeasure on her face was clear as day. Livia, much like Quint, did not seem bothered that her subordinate had just died in a gruesome and torturous manner.

Ema had stopped her attack with the vines once Jon had been hurt. Lexa took out a knife and threw it at Ema who dodged with ease, her body contorting as if it were made of rubber.

Again and again, Lexa's knives missed their mark and Lexa seemed to be growing more and more agitated.

"Futile," Sagan's words were confident but his tone was lacking, "Ema can bend her body in any way imaginable. Mere throwing knives will not work."

As if she heard him over the raucous crowd, Lexa took the large throwing star off her back. She threw it at Ema who ducked underneath it with ease.

"You see—"

Sagan was cut off as Lexa raised her hand and before Ema could react the throwing star reversed course. It streaked through the air before slamming into Ema's half-turned body. The impact was strong enough to send Ema sailing before she collapsed on the ground, dead.

The crowd was wild as they revelled in the intelligent and gruesome finish. Lexa had managed to beat a group of fighters all on her own and the crowd seemed to now be fully behind her.

Roan drew out his sword and to his credit, it did not seem to be made out of metal. It was a gleaming white and Clarke would have recognised it from being a doctor, if it weren't for the fact that she had almost been killed by the very same thing a year ago.

"Bone," There was no doubt in Luna's voice, "Roan stayed behind on purpose. The others were not terribly strong, but they tired Lexa out. I knew there would be a plan, just not something like this. It is so...sly and insidious."

"Call it what you want," Nia said to Luna, "The new Commander will not take so kindly to nightbloods. That goes for _all_ of them."

"Nia, if–"

Clarke placed her hand on Luna's knee to calm her. She could understand Luna's fury. The idea of Nia knowing about Madi unsettled Clarke and she was not sure this challenge would resolve anything when Lexa won. However, fighting now would not help at all either.

Clarke got the feeling that someone was staring at her. She turned to the arena and felt a mix of embarrassed and confused as Lexa zeroed in on Clarke's hand. Clarke let go of Luna rather quickly, but it was not quick enough as a deep frown settled on Lexa's face.

She drew out her sword and walked closer to Roan who met her halfway. They began to circle each other and it was painful to see the sweat running down Clarke's face and the way her body seemed hunched with exhaustion.

It had probably taken a lot of effort to kill all two hundred plus of Kila's clones and avoid the vines and that first hit at the beginning would have hurt Lexa too. Yet, it was only now that Lexa seemed to be rigid with her fury.

It reminded Clarke of how choppy and unrefined she had been the morning before Finn's death. Lexa had easily identified and remedied Clarke's form and yet in a sickening role reversal, Clarke could see the glaring faults in Lexa's stance.

"She is angry," Anya was careful to not be overheard, "Her form is terrible and I know Roan can see it."

Roan and Lexa had stopped circling each other before charging. Lexa was like a storm as she attacked with all power and no finesse. Her sword was a blur as it cut through the air, but she was missing wildly as Roan stayed just ahead of the slashes.

Roan blocked another overzealous attack from Lexa before he delivered a bruising kick to Lexa's side. Lexa stumbled to the side, but she recovered on time to dodge a slash from Roan.

The precedent for the fight had been set. Lexa seemed hellbent on attack and Roan was playing full defence. Roan _was_ getting cut but not nearly enough to seriously hinder or affect him.

It meant that soon Lexa was flagging and soon Roan would be perfectly placed to strike. That was what happened next.

Roan parried a slow strike from Lexa before he rocked her face with a punch. Blood and sweat flew from Lexa's face as she let out a blood-curdling scream. Her opponent slowly stalked forward before pulling his foot back.

Clarke saw how Roan's foot was vibrating widely before it slammed into Lexa's torso sending her across the field. That was not good. The intense vibrations not only boosted Roan's strength but would also mess with a lot of Lexa's internal functions like balance, heartbeat and so on.

Roan's attack was strong enough to make Lexa drop her sword. Clarke, not caring for how she looked, stood up out of her seat. Lexa was laying on her side and she just seemed spent.

Roan towered over Lexa his sword high above his head. Time slowed to a crawl as Lexa stared right at Clarke her gaze resigned. Like hell.

"Lexa!" Clarke's shout drowned out the rest of the horrified crowd, "Get up!"

Clarke saw Lexa's eyes turn red before she dove out of the way of Roan's stab. Lexa took out her last dagger before thrusting it into Roan's hip. Roan let out a loud groan as he abandoned his bone sword.

Lexa ripped the sword out the ground and she attacked Roan with a newfound fury. She seemed to have tapped into unknown reserves as she delivered deep slashes to Roan. His clothes were stained red with his blood and were in tatters.

Finally, Lexa slammed the hilt of the sword into Roan's nose. The crack of Roan's nose was as loud as a bullet in a cave. Lexa swept Roan's feet out from under him before she put her foot on his chest.

"Stand up!" Nia sounded hysterical as she moved to the front of the booth, "She killed Vega! Your sister! Stand up and fight now!"

Lexa held her bone sword and she looked down at Roan before looking up at Roan. Clarke saw Lexa adjust her grip on the sword. Lexa's gaze was firmly pinned on Nia, but that changed as Roan stabbed Lexa in the calf with a bone dagger.

Lexa cursed as copious amounts of black blood leaked from her calf. She lifted the sword and, in a flash of white, the arm Roan used to stab her in the calf was cut off at the elbow.

Lexa threw the sword aside. Clarke could see the sweat building on Lexa's body as she walked with a dagger in her calf. Lexa seemed dizzy and off-balance, but her voice was confident as she held her hand up for silence.

"The challenge is over," Lexa had won but Clarke could not help but feel that she was forgetting something, "Skaikru will be inducted into the Coalition and the traitors within will be rooted out and killed!"

The crowd ate Lexa's speech up. They chanted her name over and over as Lexa stood tall in the centre of the arena. Roan was helped away by a few attendants. He had fainted after his arm was cut off.

A sound of annoyance from Ontari drew Clarke's attention. Clarke was reminded of her fight with the arrogant general and it was then that she realised what she had forgotten.

Ontari used poison on her swords.

Lexa doubled over on the ground and a deluge of black blood exploded out her mouth. The crowd's chanting morphed into screams of horror and before she was fully aware of it, Clarke had already leapt over the barricade.

A bright gleam drew her attention and high up on the rim of the arena, Clarke saw Maine kneeling with a futuristic and powerful-looking crossbow loaded with an arrow. The world was in slow motion as Clarke sped towards Lexa.

Maine fired the arrow and it moved so fast Clarke knew she would not be able to move Lexa without endangering the Commander's life. That only left one course of action.

Clarke spread her arms wide as she slowed to a stop on front of Lexa. The crowd barely had time to react before Maine's arrow slammed into Clarke's stomach. Clarke groaned as a white-hot pain erupted in her stomach.

She ripped the arrow out and raised her hands towards where Maine had been, but the assassin was now gone. Ignoring the disbelief in the crowd, Clarke picked Lexa up fighting past the attendants that tried to her.

Clarke used Insight on Lexa to survey the damage done to her. It didn't look good. Lexa was exhausted and her systems were out of whack– Clarke suspected Roan's vibration attacks had a lot to do with that.

However, the worst part of it all was due to the poison. It was something Clarke found vaguely familiar until she realised it was an organic copy of a synthetic poison that Clarke herself had been hit with.

It made no sense and yet Clarke was sure she was right.

Ontari had reverse-engineered the power removal serum used by the Mountain Men's Guardians.

Ontari had made a poison that could disable the power of the Coalition's warrior.

Ontari had used that poison on Lexa.

Clarke made it to a room that was quickly emptied as she set Lexa down on a bed. Clarke could, no, would save Lexa. Clarke's hands glowed green as she focused on healing Lexa, but a small part of her mind rebelled.

The challenge had been a ploy to try and kill Lexa whenever she was at her weakest. Roan had played his part despite being at Lexa's mercy. It was clear that the animosity for Lexa ran deep on her enemies' side.

This was far from over.

* * *

**Author Notes:**

**Luna and Clarke kissed, Costia is crazy, Lexa and Clarke fell out and an assassination attempt. Yeah, not much happened here at all.**

**Nia did not get gored by a spear which is something that probably disappoints a lot of you lol.**

**Thanks for all the reviews and kudos, you guys have been giving me. It really makes me chuffed. Please tell me what you thought of this chapter and I'll see you soon.**

**Stay safe, people.**


	24. Gambit

**A quote that probably fits how you're feeling:**

"**It's alive, it's moving, it's alive, it's alive, it's alive, it's alive, IT'S ALIVE!" - Dr Frankenstein **

* * *

The cold air in the room snuck in underneath Clarke's shirt. She had ruined the bottom part of the shirt when she had ripped Maine's arrow out of her abdomen and chucked it on the arena floor.

Thankfully it wasn't poisoned. Clarke remembered the efficacy of Ontari's poisons all too well. It was a flaw with the Novus, intentional or not, and it was only now that she realised how reckless she had been trying to save Lexa.

Speaking of Lexa, the Commander was still unconscious. Clarke was purposely keeping Lexa under as she continued the painstaking process of healing the damage Lexa had sustained.

Clarke had to begin from the bottom up and she had to slowly extract the bone dagger from Lexa's ankle before taking Lexa's boots off as well. The gush of black blood was quickly sealed up as Clarke pressed her hands to the wound.

The green light her hands emanated dyed Lexa's skin as the gaping wound in her ankle closed. Blood vessels were reconnected, tendons and joints and nerves repaired and bones were fixed over as Clarke focused on the most significant wound Lexa had.

The bone had been a wicked design with twists and spikes to make it equally damaging to pull out as it was to put in. Lexa had been shaking even whilst unconscious as Clarke pulled it out. Thankfully, Clarke was able to extract it and heal the damage.

There was still poison in Lexa's system, but Clarke was able to kick Lexa's systems into overdrive to take care of it. It was not lethal and it would have probably taken a few days for Lexa's body to filter it out, but Clarke had sped that up to a couple of hours by guiding Lexa's system along every step of the way.

By the time she finished, the afternoon had come and gone.

The poison would have already done its job though. Ontari's version of the serum was not permanent according to Insight, but Lexa's powers were nullified for the time being. That had definitely been Roan's plan when he had stabbed Lexa.

Polis was now one spark away from imploding and its leader did not have any access to her powers. The list of Coalition members that Clarke trusted with Lexa's safety was three people long that being Luna, Anya and Indra.

Clarke was sure that either Luna or Anya had gone to update her friends while she had been healing Lexa and that Indra was probably with the Trikru delegation. It was with that in mind that once Clarke finished healing Lexa completely, after a mind-numbing couple of hours, she settled into a chair in the room.

Clarke felt tired, both mentally and physically, as she sat down. She used her sleeve to wipe the sweat off her forehead before letting out a groan borne of frustration and exhaustion. It had barely been over a week since she had been attacked in Trikru and so much had happened since then.

Clarke wished she could pack up and just go far away, but that was impossible now. It had become impossible the second she had saved Madi from her kidnappers and it had been cemented the longer she had spent around Luna.

The final nail in her coffin, however, was right in front of her. The sight of Lexa who had dominated her worst nightmares and sweetest dreams being so vulnerable made it impossible for her to leave.

Their relationship was so confusing Clarke could barely make sense of it. They seem to oscillate between reconciling and separating with every second that passed. Even now as Lexa slept peacefully on the bed, in her mind's eye Clarke could see the fury on Lexa's face when she walked in on Costia and Clarke.

Remembering the misunderstanding made Clarke feel sick inside and to compensate, she decided to scan Lexa's vitals again. She rose out of her chair and used Insight on Lexa once more. There was nothing amiss, except for the lack of powers, that was.

Still, though, Clarke kept the scan up. She began from Lexa's newly repaired foot and moved upwards before finally settling on her head. Clarke detected a large amount of brain activity and for a second she was worried Lexa had a brain injury that she had missed.

That was not the case, though, Clarke realised. If anything, it seemed like Lexa was dreaming, but that still felt like an incomplete explanation. Clarke focused more on the weird phenomenon and she frowned as she realised that the brain activity was being induced somehow.

It was as if something or someone in the room was interacting with Lexa's brain. Clarke scanned the room with thermal vision revealing there was no one around not even any guards. It definitely wasn't the poison and so Clarke found herself stumped.

That lasted until a thought came into her head. Clarke remembered the advanced crossbow that Maine had used. The arrow had flown faster than a bullet and the pain had almost crippled Clarke once it had pierced her. Clarke hadn't been shot yet, but she was sure that was easier than taking that arrow head-on.

It was obvious between Ontari's new poison and Maine's crossbow, that the traitors were getting a boost in their war capabilities. Therefore, it was entirely possible that instead of it being a person or even a poison affecting Lexa, it was a _machine_.

It was with that in mind that Clarke activated her technopathy. A new plane of existence was opened to her mere moments later. Immediately, the equivalent of a roaring flame washed over Clarke confirming the presence of a machine of sorts.

It was amazingly complex and well and truly beyond anything Clarke had scanned before. It felt like it was right underneath her nose and she realised why that was as she tracked the marvel to its location.

Lexa's neck.

Clarke brought her hand to Lexa's neck causing goosebumps to rise on the Commander's neck. She reached below Lexa's hair and sure enough, her finger came across a small, vertical scar.

"Why is it inside you?" Clarke said as she looked down at Lexa whose eyes were fluttering rapidly beneath her eyelids.

Lexa wasn't able to answer and so Clarke decided to get some answers for herself. She tried to gently 'poke' at the device, but much to her surprise she got pushed back. Hard.

It reminded her of the security that the Mountain had, but far and away more advanced. In something so small too. Clarke tried a gentle prod again and this time she was pushed back with more force. Enough force to cause tingling in her head.

Gentle wouldn't cut it.

Clarke prepared to break down the security of the technological marvel. Just as she was about to push forward again, her surroundings shifted to a dull grey. The hum of machines whispered in her ear and the air became colder.

"Welcome back, Clarke," An annoyingly familiar voice said, "Have you grown taller?"

"I'm busy," Clarke said even as she settled into a worn leather chair, "Why did you bring me here?"

"I wouldn't recommend doing that," Darah said from behind her desk, "That tingling you felt was a warning. Another attempt would have probably liquefied your brain with a sharp burst of radiation. Not even nightblood would have saved you or that girl playing at being a leader."

That sobered Clarke up quickly.

"I thought nightblood processed radiation," Clarke said causing Darah to snort, "What's so funny? I thought you'd be upset at another weakness in your 'perfect' design."

"The Novus _is _perfect!" Darah's tone was frigid, "I made no mistakes whatsoever. You don't even know–"

Darah cut herself off mid-rant before switching moods on a dime, "You must excuse me, Clarke. I think being alone in here has had its effect on me. You don't come here often enough. Sometimes I think you just ignore me."

In all honesty, Darah's mood swings did put Clarke on edge. It was hard to tell if they were genuine reactions or just a facade. Darah struck Clarke as the type of person to act this way just so she could gauge Clarke's reactions. Yet, it was entirely possible that Darah's mind was not all the way there anymore if it ever had been in the first place.

So, Clarke did her best to not react. She took slow and deep breaths. Her shoulders rising and falling with every breath she took. Finally, Clarke was able to get her anger under lock and key...

"Did Luna teach you how to do that?"

...For a few seconds.

Clarke slammed her fist onto Darah's desk making it collapse inwards. The desk crumbled away but everything that was on it remained suspended in the air by red energy. Darah simply waved her hand and the broken table was restored to its former state.

The red glow around the items faded away.

"You need to get your anger under control," Darah said unaffected by the show of violence, "You're about to fight a war. You need to dial back on that anger. I guess those meditation sessions with Luna did not work so well. Maybe you were distracted by something or someone?"

Clarke did not rise to the bait, "What do you know about war?"

"More than you would give me credit for," Darah said feigning hurt, "Do you think I got a military contract so easily? I had someone very near and dear to me on the inside put in a good word or ten for me. It's a shame how things worked out between us. She–"

"Why did you call me here?"

Clarke felt the familiar exhaustion that came with dealing with Darah begin to settle on her. It bordered on torture for Clarke to speak to Darah and she wouldn't let things get dragged out even more.

"You're still a novice with the Novus," Darah's lips quirked and it disturbed Clarke that she knew it was because of the unintentional rhyme, "It took you until nightfall to purge the poison from your cute friend's system. I can give you the edge in the final battle and unlock your full power. You have only scratched the tip of the iceberg, Clarke."

There was a glass of water on Darah's desk that Clarek noticed was swirling rapidly. The water rose out the glass to form a miniaturised copy of Luna's rig.

"I must admit it was awfully clever of you to bestow so many powers on Madi," Darah said as the rig collapsed back into the glass, "It's a good thing she's an orphan. She'd scare any siblings she had. You're raising quite the killer there, Clarke."

Clarke leapt over the table before pinning Darah to the floor. The woman did not struggle even as Clarke pointed a glowing purple hand in her face. Darah looked past the hand and straight into Clarke's eyes that radiated purple psionic energy.

"Tell me why I shouldn't blast your head off right now?" Clarke pressed her hand onto Darah's forehead. A psionic blast from this close would almost certainly kill Darah.

"There is no limit to what you can do, Clarke," Darah said her voice staying calm even as Clarke pushed down harder with her left hand, "Arkadia, your friends, your mother, Madi and your two...dalliances can all be saved."

"You are always bending over backwards to save everyone. I know that you're tired. Let me help you," Darah said and her voice was as soothing as the spray of the sea during summer, "I can fix the problems you're having."

The unasked question hung in the air.

The idea was so very tempting. Darah knew more about the Novus than Clarke did. Would it be so bad if Clarke got some help from her? They already needed as much help as possible to deal with Maine who was as far away from ordinary as Pluto was from Earth.

That was excluding Azgeda. Clarke had taken ages to purge the poison from Lexa's system. Ontari could and probably already had made a lot more. Clarke wouldn't be able to save enough people if she worked so slowly.

That's what made Darah's offer tempting. It wasn't worth mentioning that Clarke's inability to deal with poison was Darah's fault. Not when Darah could potentially get rid of that weakness altogether.

"I—"

Before Clarke could answer, her surroundings rippled away into a blurry miasma of colours and shapes. She heard a muffled voice from somewhere near her before finally regaining her sight and vision.

"_Vale, _Clarke," Darah said, far too cheerily for who she was, her voice fading away into the recesses of Clarke's mind.

Lexa was helping her up onto her bed and Clarke tried to protest, but she clutched her head in pain as her sense of pain returned. Clarke reached for the back of her head and she grimaced as she saw the black drops on her fingers.

"Stay here," Lexa said as she gingerly picked her boots off the ground, "I need to find who did this to you–"

"Lexa."

"If it is anyone from the challenge, I swear–"

"Lexa."

"I will kill them–"

Clarke grabbed onto Lexa's shoulders, the grogginess from waking up replaced by concern for Lexa. She seemed tense and her eyes were twitching as they stared holes into Clarke.

"I fainted," Clarke said her voice belying how tired she was, "No one got in here or is even near hear. I made sure of that."

Lexa calmed down at Clarke's words before recoiling and taking a step back. Clarke bit her lip as Lexa returned to the hostile attitude she had before the Challenge.

"Why did you heal me and not Nyko?" Lexa said her tone slightly confused and hostile.

"Roan stabbed you in the ankle with a poisoned dagger and then you cut off his hand," Clarke said and a there was a flash of recognition in Lexa's eyes, "It's not deadly, but you won't like it."

"What did the poison do?"

"Your powers are gone," Clarke said before she saw the panic in Lexa's eyes, "Temporarily. I tried my best, but it could be anywhere from a day to a week."

Even to a month or beyond, but it wouldn't be wise to drop that on Lexa right now.

"How did Azgeda make something like that?" It sounded like it pained Lexa to give the Ice Nation credit which was understandable, "Why only now?"

Clarke knew why of course. It was her fault after all.

"They're not working alone," Clarke said almost too quickly, "I've seen a poison like that once before. At the Mountain."

The Mountain was anathema to them both, but in this case it was an unavoidable topic. Clarke had managed to wrangle her way out of confessing her failure to Luna, but she couldn't bring herself to do the same to Lexa. Not after what Roan had done.

"Those robots we fought, the Guardians," Clarke said but of course Lexa did not forget them, "I got hit with a needle that had some substance on it while I was using my ice manipulation to destabilise one of them."

It was at once both easy and difficult to admit to her failure. On one hand, Clarke felt as though her mistake was colossal hence her suppression of it, but on the other hand, it felt good to let it spill from her lips.

"I haven't been able to use my ice manipulation again," Clarke said which seemed to stun Lexa, "It's gone. Forever. Ontari's poison is similar to the substance used on me even if it's not as effective."

"Azgeda must have gotten their hands on one of the defeated Guardians," Lexa said and Clarke felt like an idiot for forgetting about yet another important thing.

Clarke had not once pondered on how the Guardians would be safely destroyed. It hadn't even registered in her mind when she had flown over the forest around the Mountain and not seen even one left.

She had been so focused on staying away from the Mountain and the mountain of corpses she had made that she had put it out of her mind. She had sort of assumed they would be useless while offline or that Skaikru would do something about if it were deemed important enough.

"I should have destroyed them all before leaving," Clarke said and she clenched her hands into fists, "We wouldn't be in this mess if I had done that."

"Do not think like that," Lexa said her tone hot with anger, "You had done enough...thanks to my decision. In any case, I had overseen the destruction and disposal of the Guardians. If Azgeda have any, then it is due to my error. Not everything that goes wrong is your fault."

Lexa's response was sweet. Sweeter than what Clarke felt she deserved or expected from Lexa. That seemed to match her life on Earth this far. Clarke could not help, but feel she did not deserve the pleasures she has had on Earth.

From the many friendships she had within Skaikru to her sheer power to the close bond she had made with Madi and Luna. They all felt like something she should not have. The warmth Lexa had shown her multiple times was at once heavily desired and yet felt wholly undeserved.

She had to get her mind back on track, though. Wallowing would do nothing, but her and most likely the people around her. Ironically, people getting hurt seemed to be the direct result of her actions in any case.

"I didn't kill all the Mountain Men," Clarke said as the final pieces fell into place, "Cage and Lorelei got away from me. The son of their leader and their doctor. The Guardian is complex, but if Azgeda had help from Cage and Lorelei then they could reverse engineer most if not all of the Guardian's functions."

"That is not ideal," Lexa admitted with a click of her tongue, "All is not lost. The Guardians that could not be destroyed were discarded into the acid lakes of Podakru. It would be suicide to retrieve them. What of the ones that flew away? Did you fight any of them at the Mountain? Then or recently?"

Clarke had not even seen any hint of the Guardians both times around let alone fight any.

Were they stored elsewhere? Mount Weather used to be a government facility so it was possible that they had satellite sites scattered across America.

It would also explain how they wreaked havoc across the entire Coalition whilst only having radiation suits and limited air supply. Even Luna had fought squads of Mountain Men while deep in Floukru territory which was well over half a day from Mount Weather at walking speed.

"They were none there, but I'm sure there's a hint of where they're stored in the Mountain," Clarke said verbalising her thoughts, "I should check the Mountain for something like the arrow Maine fired at you. I'm sure there are some weapon caches in there."

"What arrow?" Lexa said before her gaze dropped to Clarke's ruined shirt, "Are you alright? Did you dive in front of an arrow even after our fight? To save me?"

Lexa's expression was the pinnacle of surprise her mouth hanging open just a bit. The admission had just slipped out of Clarke and it was only now she could see the gravity of what she had done. She had been acting on pure instinct and a sheer panic to not let Lexa get hurt.

Clarke could only nod, "It was the woman Bellamy faced in that old building. Maine. Her bow was very advanced– better than the guns Skaikru have. The arrow was so quick and Roan had just stabbed you. I did what I had to do. My healing took care of it."

"You did this in the arena?" Lexa still had that air of stunned disbelief to her voice, "In front of everyone?"

"You could have died," Clarke said and she paused for a few seconds, "I couldn't let that happen."

Instead of inquiring more about the bow or Maine, Lexa only asked one question.

"Why are you so confusing?"

It was said with just as much warmth as frustration and Clarke felt her throat close up from Lexa's searing gaze. Words failed her as she stared into twin green pools that slowly faded to black as Lexa's pupils expanded.

"I—"

Clarke didn't quite know how to answer that.

"Your life was, and still is, in danger," Clarke said instead, "Our relationship is...complicated, but I wouldn't let you die. You're a strong and very loved leader. You would do anything to save your people. Just like me."

The green had almost entirely faded from Lexa's eyes replaced by an endless black.

"If I had to choose, I would always be on your side," Clarke said averting her gaze as her heart thumped away, "Whatever choice you make tomorrow, I trust you to make the right one."

Clarke couldn't quite bring herself to look at Lexa after her words. Perhaps it was too heavy for this time of day and perhaps the seas of uncertainty swirling within her had just flooded out before Clarke could regain control.

"You are feared within the Coalition for your power," Lexa said her voice soft and shaky, "My predecessors tell me to strike you down where you stand. To take your power for me. It would appease those plotting against and you still trust me?"

Clarke knew all that not just from her experiences with Lexa but also from her time with Luna. Clarke didn't fully know what it was like to be a novitiate or to lead a Grounder clan let alone a whole Coalition.

However, what she did know was that she trusted Luna and that she trusted Lexa to do the right thing. She could be wrong, but Clarke knew she had to have faith.

Instead of throwing them to the wolves, Luna had taken Clarke and Madi in despite the backlash she could have faced. This was different and yet almost exactly and Clarke knew she could never face Luna or herself if she threw Lexa to the wolves.

"I do," Clarke said turning to Lexa, "I have to look after my people. Everything I do is for them."

Perhaps, Clarke should have been clearer with her words. 'Her people' had grown to include Luna, Madi, Anya as well as Lexa Clarke could now, but Lexa seemed to put her walls back up after Clarke's answer.

"I see," Lexa said and the facade she always wore was now fully back in place, "Head over heart. Just like a good leader."

"Lexa, I—"

"—_will _strike you down," Indra's abrupt declaration sucked the magic out the room, "Stand down. Now."

The sound of footsteps coming down the hallway silenced Clarke. There seemed to be a fair amount of arguing as well and Clarke could recognise the voice of Raven over the cacophony of angry voices that drew closer.

"Lexa and Clarke are not to be disturbed, girl," That was Indra's voice surprising Clarke that the Trikru leader addressed them her by her name, "Anya, take her back to her room."

"Clarke got hit with an arrow meant for _your _Commander _and _she's been healing her from noon to sunset!" Raven didn't seem to take all that well to Indra's suggestion, "Now let me through or I'll let myself through."

Why did Raven have to be so...Raven?

"Relax," Raven said dismissing Indra's threat, "They're both standing up. I can see them clearly."

Oh, that explains it. Indra thought Raven was gearing up for an attack when instead she had simply activated her X-ray vision. It was a reasonable assumption to make, but now there was no reason to delay things any further.

"Stand down, Indra," Lexa's authoritative tone had not diminished despite her earlier trials, "You can come in. All of you."

Lexa waved her hands to open the door, but they did not do so much as twitch. Clarke could only put it down to muscle memory and it made Clarke a bit worried that Lexa's lack of powers may be evident.

Clarke was already wary of an attack by Azgeda. Nia surely knew the poison had worked even if they did not know how well it had worked. The likelihood of some second attempt at eliminating Lexa was still sky-high.

It was Indra who decided to open the door. Raven nearly bumped into the older woman as she walked in at the same time. Anya trailed behind them looking exasperated with it all.

"I was worried sick for you," Raven said pulling Clarke into a hug, "Why the hell would you jump in front of an arrow? Anya said your blood sprayed everywhere like you were shot."

It had definitely felt like she'd been shot.

Clarke returned Raven's hug and her eyes met Anya who was staring at her and Raven. The intensity of Anya's gaze made Clarke feel a bit awkward and she separated from Raven.

"I wish to speak with Le–Heda alone, Wanheda," Indra said to Clarke.

Clarke was somewhat glad for the interruption. The air between Lexa and her had shifted from the professional air when they were discussing the Guardians. A pause would do them both some good. Still, though, she felt inclined to staying right here despite Indra's wishes.

"I will speak to you later, should I have the time, " Lexa said and it was that which convinced Clarke to leave the room, "I am sure your people are worried for you as well."

Lexa gestured towards Raven to solidify her point. Raven had a deep frown on her face that grew less hostile as Lexa brought attention to her. The bad blood between the two, though one-sided, would not help anyone.

Clarke ignored Lexa's tone in the last sentence.

"Let's go, Raven," Clarke said, "I need to make sure you guys are all okay."

"I will come with you," Anya said surprising Clarke somewhat, "There is still a bit of, uh, hostility in the air. My presence would help deter any issues on your way to your rooms."

"Of course, let's go."

"Anya, return once you have escorted Clarke to her room," Lexa said not even mentioning Raven's name which didn't go down all too well with the mechanic judging by her face, "I will speak with you after Indra."

"I understand, Heda," Anya bowed causing Raven to roll her eyes. Thankfully, no one said anything if they even noticed it. That was that and Clarke was the last to leave the room

They left Indra and Lexa behind and Clarke brought up the rear as Anya and Raven got into a conversation that was pretty lighthearted. A reversal from the awkwardness from just a few moments ago.

Clarke was thankfully not drawn into the conversation. She wasn't sure she'd be able to match Raven's enthusiasm. The last thing she wanted was people fussing over her so she had to get her act in order.

Their worries were more important than hers.

* * *

"You left Cage and Tsing alive?" The disbelief in Raven's voice was palpable, "And you're only telling us this _now_? I thought you got them! You got everyone else!"

As expected, Raven did not take well to the news. It was understandable though since Tsing had tied Raven down to a bed and drilled her for bone marrow.

"There's no changing the past," Bellamy said to Raven, "Clarke had already killed hundreds of them. It's not that surprising that two people would sneak under her radar."

"It's probably more than that," Octavia said also not sounding particularly mad, "Is there anyone else we should care about? What about that creep? Emerson, I think?"

"Dead," Clarke said after a moment of reflection, "He tried to use a grenade on me and I kicked it back to him."

"Okay then," Bellamy said probably a bit put out by the visual that conjured, "Anyone else?"

Clarke wracked her brain to think of anyone important. None were coming to mind. Dante was dead. Emerson too. The only person that came to mind was—

"Diana," Clarke and Raven said at the same time.

"You knew she was in there?" Raven asked in surprise, "How did she even get there? I thought you killed her after what she did to Roma."

In hindsight, Clarke could see how Raven would think that. Clarke had very nearly killed Diana, but she held off on it for no other reason than being tired. If anything, Clarke had assumed Diana would be dead within a few days without her powers.

"I left her near the Mountain," Clarke said her eyes landing on Madi who was sleeping on Octavia's bed, "This was before we knew there were blood-sucking monsters in there. I just assumed she'd die. I guess some Reapers found her."

"I saw her in a cage with the other Grounders and I electrocuted her," Clarke admitted with a frown, "If I wasn't so desperate to escape with Anya then I might have actually killed her."

Speaking of Anya, the Grounder had been summoned by Lexa a while ago. The sun had already set on Polis and truth to be told Clarke was feeling rather hungry.

"She might be dead either way," Raven scoffed, "Cage and Tsing took her with them. At best, they're using her for information on Skaikru and Clarke. Outdated information."

That was to their knowledge at least. It was possible that Diana knew more about the Novus than she had let on, but Clarke highly doubted that was the case. Darah was far more likely to let someone get hurt using the Novus than to write down valuable information.

"Diana isn't a top priority,' Raven declared her gaze filled with anger, "I want Tsing, though. That bitch will pay for what she did to me."

"So what are we waiting for?" Octavia said rising out of her seat, "Azgeda used that serum on Lexa. They're clearly working with Cage and his goons. We should cut this off at the head."

"The evidence is circumstantial at best," Clarke sighed, "The only ones who have encountered the Guardian serum are me and Bellamy. They would just laugh it up as some sort of ploy by Skaikru. We aren't a part of the Coalition so our words will not hold much weight with the generals."

"Can't Indra do the memory transfer thing?" Octavia asked growing a bit more agitated, "She's trusted, isn't she? Why aren't you trying to stop things from getting worse? Do you _want _a war?"

"Don't be stupid, O," Clarke scolded the younger girl, "There is nothing we can do to stop this. The Grounders want war and like it or not, we're caught up in it. They already dismissed Indra's findings the first time, they'll do it again now."

None of the generals against Lexa had been involved in the challenge after all and they were all perfectly healthy. It was just like chess. You had to move your pawns first before using your better pieces. That was the key to nearly every gambit.

There was a knock at the door and Clarke turned to Raven. She seemed to get the wordless query as her eyes turned a bright yellow. Bellamy and Octavia were both prepared as they pointed their hands at the door.

Clarke sidled over to cover Madi who was still asleep on the bed before Raven revealed who was behind the door.

"It's Anya...and Indra," Raven said the latter's name as if she were eating expired food from the Ark, "They're looking really sour too. Well, at least Anya is. Indra always looks like someone shoved a wrench up her—"

"Now's not the time," Clarke said cutting Raven off on the, not insignificant, chance that she could be overheard, "They're probably here for a good reason."

Clarke walked to the door and opened it. Anya and Indra Indra didn't try to enter so Clarke remained in her spot in the doorway. Anya was standing a bit behind Indra so Clarke turned to the latter who took it as a cue to speak.

"Lexa has decided to induct Skaikru into the Coalition tomorrow," Indra's robotic declaration rattled Clarke and her friends, "The other clans have been made aware of the meeting, but not of its purpose. It would be wise if it remained that way for tonight."

"Is Lexa available?" Clarke tried and failed to keep her voice neutral. She would have preferred to have heard this from Lexa herself. To call a meeting so soon could, no, _would _end disastrously for everyone involved.

"She is resting," Indra said and Clarke knew her tone left no room for argument, "I've also posted guards to her room and on every floor. They have orders that no one may be allowed near her room."

Great.

"Is that all?" Raven said as she joined Clarke at the door, "Induction ceremony. Keep it confidential. We got it."

Indra glared at Raven before she stalked off leaving Anya behind. Clarke waited for Indra to disappear around the corner before turning to Anya.

"What's going on?" Clarke saw Madi shift on the bed and being aware of the rather late time she and Raven went out into the hallway.

"Lexa is awake," Anya admitted with a frown, "However, she needs time to think. She is unsettled... There is a lot on her mind. I do not think you confronting her would help matters. Just have faith in her."

The subtext of Anya's words was apparent to Raven as well.

"Did something happen between you guys?" Raven said to Clarke, "I swear if she—"

"Nothing happened," And it was far too easy for Clarke to lie to her friend, "Nothing important. I'll be back soon. I need to go do something."

Clarke caught Anya's gaze who looked a bit wary and she raised her hands, "I won't go see Lexa. There's something else I need to do. Especially with what I've learned."

"Alright," Anya said as she made to follow Clarke, "I can get you past all the guards if you want."

Before Clarke could even think of a reply Raven swooped in, "Uh, Anya. I actually need to speak to you about something important. In private."

Clarke quirked a brow at Raven. She had no earthly idea what Raven would want to speak about Anya with, but she wouldn't push things for now. They all had their secrets.

"I can take care of myself," Clarke said to Anya finally, "I'll be back as soon as possible."

From behind Anya's back made a hand motion that Clarke vaguely understood. She'd get filled in later. That made things even easier then.

Clarke turned on her heel turning on her invisibility cloak as she went. She had to release a small burst of air from her feet to muffle her footsteps. Thankfully, she had loads of practice from walking through the cricketing hallways of the Rig on many a sleepless night.

The last thing she saw was Raven guiding Anya into Bellamy's unoccupied room. The look on both of their faces was as serious as could be.

Clearly, there was nothing to worry about on that front at all.

* * *

Clarke really did owe Octavia a favour. Her invisibility was coming in handy as she walked past a multitude of unaware guards from a variety of clans.

She had expected it to be solely Polis guards, but there were guards from all the clans roaming the hallways. They were always partnered up with someone from another clan, but it was rather amazing to see how quickly Indra had organised it all without any pushback.

Clarke came to a halt as walking with a Trikru warrior was Luna. They were engaged in conversation about something, but judging from the smiles on both their faces it wasn't anything bad.

Good.

She pressed herself up against the wall as they walked towards her. It would be extremely awkward if she were caught right now. Only the tower servants were allowed to walk freely and Clarke was so close to her destination.

Luna walked past her and instantly her head swivelled towards Clarke. Luna's companion noticed the odd behaviour once his question didn't elicit a reply.

"What's wrong?"

"I sense someone not with the patrols," Luna said looking dead into Clarke's eyes, "Not here though. Further away. We should hurry before someone does something they may regret."

Okay, so Luna knew she was there.

As if reading her mind, Luna winked at Clarke before leading her companion in the opposite direction at a decent clip. Luna's power sensing was so accurate she could often tell _who _someone was without having to see them.

Clarke was glad Luna had recognised her signature so quickly and had also covered for her. It could have gotten messy if she hadn't. She walked faster down the hall before finally making it to the medical bay.

She had smelt the blood all the way from her floor and it had been easy to track it to its source. There were only four occupants in the room once she walked which was to be expected at this time of night.

Erid and Remus were both seated by a different bed. Lia was on the one and Jon was on the other. Both of the warriors were in a bad way. Lia had glowing red burns that were still a vivid colour while Jon seemed to shiver and shake in his sleep. The latter was wrapped in many bandages.

The two generals were silent and deep in thought so they were caught fully off guard as Clarke dropped her shroud and closed the door.

"Who's there?" Remus had leapt out of his chair and he was holding a dagger, Erid simply pointed her hands towards her as clouds of dust began to rise in the room.

"Calm down," Clarke raised her hands to show she meant no harm, "I'm not here to fight."

They didn't seem to trust her entirely as they stared her down, but eventually, they lowered their hands. Clarke sighed in relief as they stayed down. The haggard look on both their faces coupled with the indisposed patients nearby probably helped keep them docile.

Clarke walked towards Lia and Jon. Their bandages were bloodied and their flesh was slightly discoloured. Both Erid and Remus were reluctant to let her close and yet seemed desperate for her to intervene.

"Who healed them?"

Healed was being very generous.

"One of the lower Polis healers," Remus sounded annoyed, "They would not allocate a better healer to us. Not after the assassination attempt on Heda."

On reflex, Clarke grabbed at her stomach. The pain of the arrow burrowing into her was still fresh in her mind.

"You do understand why right?"

"We do," Erid said and for once she didn't look at Clarke with any measure of contempt, "It took me nearly losing Lia for me to see the error of my ways. Anyone else, myself included, would have killed her, but Heda spared her."

"Please help them, Skaifaya," Remus knelt before and after a few seconds Erid followed suit, "We have done our best, but we fear neither of them will make the night."

Clarke was grateful that they had seen the light. It made this all the easier. She decided to get this out of the way before any complications arose. Her hands glowed green as she started with Jon.

The healer from before had only sealed Jon's torn blood vessels. There were still actual holes in his muscles and bones. It was a miracle that he had survived for so long and a part of Clarke wishes she had come here earlier.

Remus and Erid watched her work closely. The loudest sound in the room was the winds blowing against the closed window reminding Clarke of just how high up they were.

It was nothing compared to being on the Ark, but that wasn't a fair comparison.

Clarke was able to heal all of Jon's injuries in less than fifteen minutes. The lack of a poison really allowed her to do her thing and she had gotten a lot of practice while on the Rig. She and Luna didn't hold back in their sparring sessions at all.

"Thank you, Skaifaya," Remus sounded rather overwhelmed as he took in the healthy complexion of Jon, "I do not know why I was so foolish as to gamble my brother's life away. I am in your debt."

"It's not a problem," Clarke said laying her hand on the shoulder of Remus who knelt before her once more, "He will be tired for a few days, but he'll recover fully."

Remus only bowed deeper at that which only made Clarke uncomfortable. A man so many years older than her shouldn't be _worshipping _her for saving his brother.

It was _wrong_.

"Will she scar?" Erid said as Clarke moved to Lia, "I do not care for how she looks...but I know she does. Lia having so many scars would hurt her and it hurts me when she hurts."

It was sweeter than anything Erid had ever said or done in front of Clarke. The woman was a vast departure from the proud and stoic general Clarke had fought months ago.

"Don't worry," Clarke said as she began to heal Lia.

Erid had shut her eyes close as if to not give herself false hope. Lia was better off than Jon, but the damage was still significant. Particularly around the joints where the chain had burnt some of her ligaments and joints.

Still, though, Clarke was able to fully heal Lia in even quicker time than she had taken for Jon. She would still have to take it easy for a bit, but she would live a full life and without any scars to boot.

"You–amazing," Erid said taking in Lia's rejuvenated state, "I have no idea how to thank you."

Cruelly, Clarke latched onto Erid's gratitude immediately, "Why did you go against Skaikru and the Coalition?"

The question was aimed at both of them, but it was Erid that spoke, "It all started with the attacks...the ones I thought you did."

"Why did you think it was me? Are there any survivors?"

"No," Erid's voice was burning with fury, "They would always succumb to their wounds. Sankru has a lack of competent healers as well as the herbs needed to treat burns. Only a few would mention seeing Wanheda, the title you got after the Mountain."

"The attacks were happening all over the Coalition, " Erid said her voice upset, "I thought you were seeking revenge for Lexa's actions. Ontari was the one who eventually convinced me you, Skaikru and Lexa were a problem."

"Was it the same with you?" Clarke asked Remus who nodded solemnly, "Why would Skaikru be at fault instead of just me?"

"Jus drein jus daun," Erid said tightly her voice a little shaky, "That's our way."

Blood must have blood.

"Skaikru had nothing to do with it," Clarke said a bit of anger bleeding into her voice, "They gave Sankru food and plants that produced vast amounts of water without needing much in return. Boudalan were given some of our own technology to improve your lives."

Clarke could see her words were getting to Erid. It would only take one more push to get her over the edge. Remus seemed to have caught on, but he remained completely silent.

"Skaikru were innocent."

"I saw your people in my lands!" Erid said the words spilling from her mouth, "They were spotted in many villages. They stayed with the frikdeina floating from village to village before disappearing. We assumed they left the desert. One of them was one of your leaders. A man called—"

"Jaha?" Clarke asked drawing a nod from Erid.

"Yes. My scouts only found them near our capital while the attacks were ongoing," Erid said her voice cracking now, "A Skaikru boy with the power to turn buildings to dust and disable with pain, he killed my leader. My father."

Clarke's frown grew impossibly deep at Erid's description. It could only have been Murphy. The boy had fallen off the face of the Earth and he was the last remaining of the delinquents who had powers.

Come to think of it, Clarke was sure he hadn't even made it all the way back to Arkadia from the Mountain. She had to herd all the Mount Weather citizens and delinquents as well as carry Costia so it would have been child's play for him to slip away.

The question was how did he get to Sankru? And what were he and Jaha up to? Why would they be running around with the frikdeina? According to Luna, frikdeina hated outsiders especially those with powers. Those with powers were the antithesis to the frikdeina who had made the mistake of being born to parents with genes screwed by radiation.

"Many clan leaders across the Coalition have been killed," Erid said shocking Clarke, "The affected generals had taken precautions to stop the news from spreading."

"...Which clans?"

"S-Sankru and Boudalan," Erid sounding a bit rattled by Clarke's terse tone, "Trishana, Ingronarona, Ouskejon and Yujleda."

"Those clans are strong. Only Trikru and Azgeda are stronger than those clans," Clarke said a hint of disbelief in her tone, "It would be _impossible _for Skaikru to pull that off just once. Let alone multiple times without Trikru noticing. It's far more likely their generals overthrew their leaders."

"It's why I remained a little sceptical until I could meet with Nia myself," Remus added sounding troubled, "My people will have my head for having sided with Nia."

Erid and Remus both seemed heavily conflicted, as if facts they never considered were being brought to light. Erid seemed to take it the worst as she raised her hands to her head in horror.

"What were Jaha and Murphy doing in Sankru territory?" Clarke asked and Erid still had enough about her to give an answer.

"They were on a fool's quest."

A very vague and unhelpful answer.

"I need to go," Clarke said her head filled with a myriad of thoughts, "I was not here, understand?"

Erid would probably only be better within a few hours and Clarke didn't have the patience to wait for that.

Remus nodded on behalf of a shellshocked Erid. Clarke took her leave as Remus began to calm Erid down. Her invisibility allowed her to navigate the hallways without much issue.

It was so odd that Erid and Remus had been swayed by such circumstantial evidence. Surely, neither general would have landed such important roles if they were this naïve.

There was definitely something more to it all. That being said, Clarke was sure she could trust then for the time being. Near as she could tell, they were fully honest with her for their whole conversation.

What was more worrying was the mention of Murphy apparently assassinating Erid's father. It could either be a copy like her with the Trikru villages or even worse it could actually be Murphy himself.

Clarke could admit it was hypocritical of her to not dismiss the accusations levelled to Murphy. That being said, she knew Murphy. He had beaten someone to a pulp after a small argument which led to his banishment and he had jumped at the chance to rule over the delinquents when Bellamy was still a jerk.

Everyone had the capacity for violence and that was just the truth.

If Murphy was responsible, Clarke would bring him to justice. She did it with Finn and she could and would do it again.

* * *

Raven wasn't all too sure if speaking to Anya about this was the right choice, but considering she had saved Raven then it was probably okay to trust her.

"You won't kill me or anything if I said something crazy, right?"

Anya blinked, "Excuse me?"

A bit of a false start.

"I'm starting to get suspicious of Indra," It was best to just take the plunge. Kinda like drinking a shot of the rancid Ark moonshine or at least that's what Raven's mom always told her. Although her dear mother tended to stick more to bottles than shots.

Anya did not react at all. Not really. It reminded Raven of Echo and Lincoln. Maybe stoicism was just a Grounder thing.

"Is this because of her...meeting with Nia?" Anya spoke slowly as if she could be overheard.

"No, I mean that's only a part of it," Raven said causing Anya to raise a brow. A silent cue to continue as she sat down on Raven's bed.

"Explain."

Raven plopped herself down next to Anya before gathering her thoughts. Indra led Anya's clan so if there was definitely a chance this could end ugly.

"She's just been weird in general," Raven said recalling her recent encounters with Indra, "She said this meeting would be clan leaders only, but it was actually the generals."

"We received word from many of the clan leaders that they felt safer sending their generals," Anya's dry scepticism crushing Raven's first point, "In the end, Heda decided to send for the generals instead of the leaders. Indra counts as both."

Okay, so her first point crashed and burnt. The next few were conjecture at best and insufficient to convince Anya, but Raven trusted her gut feeling. Her mom taught her that.

Though, that probably had to do more with the Ark's moonshine ravaging her mom's digestive system then eventually killing her.

"Let's circle back to her and Nia's meeting," Raven said turning to Anya who was a bit closer than expected, "Lincoln said Indra despises Nia and yet they were having a civil discussion with no one around to see them. Has she mentioned what she spoke about to you?"

Anya wasn't as quick to shoot her point down this time.

"No."

"Has she told Clarke anything?"

"No."

"What about Lexa? Does she even know Indra met with Nia?"

No answer.

"I'll take that as a no," Raven said a little smugly before going for a more understated tone, "Listen, Anya. You know Indra better than I do, but something about that meeting with Nia is just making me uncomfortable plus she's been super mean to me. I don't think it's impossible that she and Nia are—"

Having heard enough, Anya leapt to her feet and stormed towards the door. She turned the knob, but Raven was able to kick the door shut causing Anya to freeze.

Raven's world spun as Anya teleported behind her before turning and pushing her towards the door. The doorknob slammed into Raven's lower back but the quick flash of pain was nothing compared to the anger in Anya's eyes.

"You know nothing," Anya stared down at her, "Indra has known Lexa since she was a child. I have known Indra all my life. She is Trikru and Trikru are not traitors. Even her runaway daughter was made Flamekeeper. Indra is grateful for Heda's blessing and benevolence unlike you."

Raven frowned at the vitriol spilling from Anya's mouth. The last part of her tirade hurt Raven deeply. Perhaps it was due to the casual dismissal of Finn's death or perhaps Anya had a way to make her words sting.

"That's different," Raven's words sounded weak even as a fire burned in her chest "Finn was killed—"

"I know you would not do anything to Heda despite your feelings towards her actions," Anya said as she crossed her arms. Her gaze turned towards the far corner of the room.

"Heda has done nothing wrong to Indra as well as Trikru. Indra would never stoop to Nia's level and conspire in the shadows nor would she jeopardise Gaia's position. It would be for the best if you did not mention this to anyone."

"Listen to me, Anya. I—"

Raven's words died in her mouth as Anya teleported away. The black smoke faded away leaving Raven alone feeling more than a little ashamed and embarrassed.

"There goes that," Raven sighed feeling as though a mountain was pressing down on her.

A good night's sleep would probably do her some good.

* * *

They were all still asleep.

Lucky.

Clarke could hear the rhythmic breathing of all her friends and Madi as they slept the night away. Clarke had been unable to find any sleep herself and that made her so envious of them all.

They'd all been asleep when she had returned from the medical bay and Clarke had holed herself in her room. After it became clear, she wasn't going to bed at all Clarke had kept herself busy.

There was only so much 'fun' to be had morphing chairs into bicycles and then into statues of bicycles before going back to chairs again. Clarke had nearly bored herself to tears before she decided to pick up an old hobby of hers.

One plate and a cup later, Clarke had a notebook with a pencil. The book was pretty large as one page was large enough to spread across her lap. It had been ages since she had last sketched anything and she had always been a fan of bigger drawings as her prison cell could attest to.

Over the course of the night, her nature scenes morphed to scenes on the Ark before they morphed to portraits of people she knew.

The first few were not pleasant to dwell on.

Her father smiling ghoulishly at her from behind an open airlock. Wells holding a makeshift chess piece in his hand even as there was a gaping wound in his neck. Roma with her shirt half-on and a large wound in the centre of her chest. Two drawings of a pile of corpses, the first corpses burnt by fire right down to the bone and the second had men, women and children that had been killed in a variety of ways.

It was only when Clarke focused on good memories that she was able to draw something worth smiling about. Madi smiling at her widely as she held a large fish in both her hands. A few of her teeth were missing and her hair blew wildly in the wind.

This one made Clarke smile.

From there, the drawing went from some form of self-flagellation to the enjoyable experience it had once been. Soon her book was filled with sketches of Octavia smiling widely as she swam in a glittering lake, Bellamy reading a book as he leaned against a tree and Raven tinkering away at an engine.

The sketches weren't entirely from memory so much as they were what came to her naturally. They were just situations she knew her friends would be comfortable in.

The lives that they so dearly wanted.

Clarke kept drawing and she shifted into another zone entirely. The next drawing took up two pages instead of one. The right had the inside of a large room with a jagged throne and the left was a bedroom with basic seascapes, seashells and paintings above a bed.

Clarke alternated from working on the left and the right and before she knew it she was done with both. She blew off the rubbings from her mistakes before finally taking it all in.

Lexa sat atop her throne, and much like the real version, this one wore armour as she reclined in her seat. Her hair hung freely and her face was devoid of any facepaint.

In the other, Luna laid on her side on the bed. Her eyes were closed and a small and warm smile was on her face even as tears flowed from her closed eyes.

The detail in these two eclipsed her previous sketches. From the rough, uneven floor of Lexa's tent to the very design of Luna's bed. Despite that, Clarke felt as though they were missing something and it came to her almost immediately.

She morphed the pencil multiple as she made the necessary adjustments to the sketches before finally, she blew off any dust to prevent the chance of any smudging. Finally, it was all done.

On the left, Luna's hair was a rich brown that seemed to capture the light in the room and in contrast, Lexa's eyes were a vivid green that almost seemed to have a light of their own.

Clarke put down her pencil which was now worn down to a nub as she took both the drawings in. Her hands trailed over the cool paper as she absorbed every inch of what was before as she lost herself in them.

It was only when the light began to peek into her room that Clarke realised she had spent far too long on drawing and who knows how long on admiring said drawings. That couldn't be healthy.

Clarke took care to close the book carefully before she took a hot bath. She went through her routine before finally she was decked out in her armour. She still had Luna's facepaint and she applied the pattern Luna had chosen for her a few days ago with the aid of a mirror.

Finally, she put her hair up into a simple ponytail before she exited her room. She knew that Lexa was one level above them and it took her extraordinary self-control to not sprint her whole way there.

The idea of Lexa having been attacked in her sleep while Clarke sat in her room and sketched (and admired her sketches) was unsettling. Their last conversation had ended all too early and now could be the last chance she had to complete it with any sort of privacy before the meeting.

She made it to the next level without having to use her invisibility surprisingly enough. Perhaps, Indra had called the guards off some time during the night. Clarke was about to head towards Lexa's room when she saw someone walking the other way holding a basket that jingled with every step.

Clarke disappeared around the corner before she could be seen. Her target walked around the corner and let out a shriek that was quickly silenced as Clarke slapped her hand over their mouth.

Costia's eyes were wide open as she tried to scramble away from Clarke. A strange and slightly noxious smell came off her, but Clarke dismissed it as she finally calmed the other woman.

"Clarke," Costia seemed to sense Clarke's fury as she spoke hurriedly her lips trembling, "I—"

"Listen to me," Clarke said causing Costia to clam up, "The little games you've been playing with me and Lexa? They stop now. I know you had a rough few years, but what's done is done. _You_ ran away from Lexa while she was fighting a war. That is the only reason you got caught. If Lexa had known you were in there, she would have tried to get you out."

Costia's forehead wrinkled and her feet shuffled in what Clarke guessed to be discomfort. It was too bad she didn't quite feel like making Costia comfortable.

"You do need help to deal with all the terrible stuff that happened to you," Clarke said before pushing Costia against the wall even harder, "That doesn't mean you get to try and get into my pants. Whether you want me or you're trying to hurt Lexa—"

Or both.

"I don't care," Clarke said curtly, "I do not like you that way and I never will. So you can stop throwing yourself at me and hurting Lexa. This way you can actually keep a shred of pride. Lexa is a good person and a great leader. The last thing she needs is you running around trying to torture her at every turn."

Clarke was breathing heavily now, "Do you understand me?"

Tears were in Costia's eyes as she nodded frantically and despite her anger at the woman, Clarke stepped back and allowed her to move away from the wall. Her knuckles were white as she held on tightly to her basket.

Its contents made a loud metallic ring which piqued Clarke's interest.

"What's in there?" Clarke said and Costia stumbled over her from the change in topic.

"Oh, uh, I was going to bring Lexa some food," Costia said her voice still shaky, "She prefers the set that she keeps in her room so I went to get those and was going to take them down to her."

"She's not in her room?" Clarke asked drawing a shake of the head from Costia.

"Indra put her on a private level with a lot of guards and would not let me enter," Costia said standing up straighter now, "I was barely able to get through. Gaia was one of those monitoring Lexa's condition and she allowed me through. I suppose she wanted to spite her mother."

Indra was Gaia's mother? That was news.

In any case, there was no point in Clarke even being here.

"You can go," Clarke said before she made her way back to the stairwell.

"Wait, Clarke," And perhaps Clarke felt guilty when she rounded on Costia with a heated expression expecting another ploy from the woman.

"I am—," This seemed to cause Costia's face to slip from a morose expression to a more neutral one, "I am not sorry for what I have done and I hope you can understand one day."

Not likely.

Clarke turned away from Costia as she walked away. Clarke was well aware of Costia's gaze on her as she made her way back to her room. They had settled their differences and thought that had not been why she had come up here, it was a decent enough substitute.

Now, Clarke could prepare everyone for the meeting without having to worry about Lexa's wellbeing.

Of course, she would have to worry about everyone's wellbeing when it came to the meeting itself.

* * *

"We got ready in like ten minutes, at the crack of dawn," Octavia said as she walked into the room leaving the door open behind her, "And we have been waiting for hours on end. Thanks for that, Clarke."

Octavia threw herself onto Clarke's bed before groaning into the pillow, "How much longer do we have to wait? And why is your bed so much bigger and softer than all of ours? You made Madi sleep in my bed so you could have this all to yourself, didn't you?"

It turns out they did not have to wait for long.

An attendant knocked on the open door and announced that they had been summoned before the Coalition within the next ten minutes. This also saved Clarke from having to answer to an irritated Octavia.

"Stay close to me, Madi," Clarke said as her party prepared to make way for the meeting hall, "You're still my responsibility."

That was all Clarke said before they made their way out. They knew that they were walking into and knew that they had to be on guard from start to finish.

By the time they reached the meeting hall, Clarke had steadied her nerves. Anya was waiting outside and yelling at an attendant before she spotted them. She walked up to them and after a glance at Raven over Clarke's shoulder she spoke.

"Has anyone seen Gaia?" Anya sounded a bit frayed, "She has not been seen since the morning. It is important that a Flamekeeper is at this meeting."

"Then I believe it to be of good fortune that I am here to fill that role."

Clarke rolled her eyes as Titus walked towards them. He looked towards Madi and a smile spread across his face before he looked towards Clarke and Anya.

"I sent Gaia on an urgent errand outside of Polis," Titus said with all the grandeur and arrogance he could muster, "It could only be done by a Flamekeeper, unfortunately. Thankfully, I am more than willing and able to take her spot for this...induction. So you may call off those looking for her."

With that, he was gone and Clarke could not help the scowl that formed on her face. Clarke turned towards Madi who looked a bit unsettled and she put a hand on the girl's shoulder. It had the desired effect as Madi calmed down after a few moments.

Anya had already hailed a tower servant and barked off an order to call off the search for Madi. She seemed to be seething as she turned back towards Clarke.

"I hate that man," Anya said balling her hands into fists her posture stiff as a board. In an out of character moment, Raven reached forward to Anya but that only caused Anya to step away.

"Anya—"

"Now is not the time," Anya said and from Clarke's perspective, she felt as though she were intruding on something. She shook that off as Anya turned to her.

"The ceremony is about to begin. This will not take long. You simply enter and bow and then you will take the brand of the clans had mixed reactions to the news so be on guard," Anya warned not once looking at Raven.

"That's all?" Octavia said mirroring Clarke's own surprise, "Isn't there supposed to be more theatrics? Well other than Clarke getting branded?"

"There is some other stuff to be done, but our ceremonies do not take long," Anya said before adding, "In any case, a quick ceremony is what would be close to the best for now with the current situation."

"Thanks, Anya," Clarke said and she did mean it, "You've been a massive help."

Anya had really been an important part in smoothing over their introduction to Earth even if that was and still continued to be a difficult path.

"You don't have to thank me, Clarke," Anya said frowning slightly and she seemed to hesitate before adding, "You're doing far more than I ever could. Thank you for that."

With that, Anya turned and entered the room leaving them behind. Raven still looked rattled by whatever was going on between her and Anya, but she snapped out of it when Bellamy put a hand on her shoulder.

"You okay?" Bellamy's question seemed to bring Raven back into the land of living as she smiled albeit a bit shakily.

"I'm awesome," Raven said shrugging Bellamy's hand off of her, "Let's do this. We need to get back to Arkadia soon. Sinclair probably needs me to put out some fires and fix some circuits so we need to be done here as quick as possible."

No one bought Raven's false cheeriness, except for maybe Madi, but no one brought it up. There was a time and place for everything and there could not be a worse moment to broach that topic right now.

"You guys have to stay behind me at all times," Clarke said as airy music began to play from the meeting hall, "Keep an eye out for anything. If something goes down, you're all prime targets."

The music was joined by a beautiful voice singing in what sounded like Trigedasleng. Clarke could only decipher what was being said due to Madi's power, but she ignored it as Titus walked out and motioned for them to enter.

"You stop in front of Heda and your people must be seven steps behind you," Titus' instructions were simple enough to understand so Clarke didn't feel the need to even act as though she heard him.

That would definitely annoy him. Or at least she hoped so.

Clarke walked at the front of the group her gaze focused straight ahead. She didn't falter in her steps as she entered the packed room. The smell of burning incense hung in the air and the walkway to Lexa's throne had Coalition warriors on either side.

Lexa sat in her throne almost exactly like the drawing Clarke had made hours ago. She wore her warpaint and her hair was braided elaborately. Even then, Clarke could sense the paranoia Lexa felt or maybe that was Clarke's own feelings.

Lexa wore her normal armour but it was definitely thicker than usual, particularly over her vital areas. Her eyes seemed exhausted, but again that could be Clarke imagining things that weren't there.

Clarke stopped about three metres away from Lexa. The chairs of the generals were back in their original position on either side of Lexa and Clarke could only spare a quick glance to Luna who was right by Lexa before returning her gaze to Lexa.

It was Titus who spoke first giving an order to the choir Clarke had heard earlier. This song had more gravitas to it and it told Clarke more than anything beforehand that things were irreversible now.

"Clarke Griffin," Lexa said and her gaze seemed to penetrate right into Clarke, "Chancellor of Skaikru, Curer of Reapers. Killer of the Mountain. Skaifaya and Wanheda. "

The smell of incense intensified as Titus held a small burning bundle in his hand. He waved it over and the smoke surrounded her even as Lexa continued to speak.

"Time and time again your people have shown their strength and valour by surviving an unfamiliar world," Titus had now procured a metal bowl that was filled with more of the near hallucinatory incense.

The process was dragging on slightly, but Clarke stayed patient and vigilant.

"You, in particular, have shown to be stronger and more intelligent than any warrior I have seen before," Lexa said as she rose to her feet and she pulled out a dagger refusing the one Titus tried to hand to her.

Was that going to be used for the brand? Somehow, Clarke didn't think so.

"You reduced a hundred Reapers to ashes when they attacked your camp. You defeated eleven of my generals one after the other," Lexa said tightening her grip on the dagger, "You crushed the Mountain Men without any help. You have earned the respect and admiration of many of my people as well as my own.."

This was going differently than Clarke had expected and judging from the perplexed expressions of the generals, they too were perplexed by it all. What was Lexa playing at?

"I remember when we first met outside your people's camp after the Mountain," Lexa said still brandishing the dagger, "You wished for Skaikru to be independent of the Coalition and I allowed that."

There were some murmurs and hurried whispers at this. Clarke could see Livia and Ontari scowling at Lexa from the back while Luna seemed rather put out too as she tried to guess what Lexa was doing.

"As it is I cannot keep that promise to you," Lexa said causing Clarke to nod slightly, "Your people are on fertile Trikru land that other desperately desire and they are also targets for destruction. I must look after my people first and foremost."

Clarke balled her hand into a fist as dread began to fill her. The situation before her being all too similar to that night outside the Mountain's front door. She could hear Raven, Octavia and Bellamy shuffling behind her as if preparing for the worst.

"What I do now is not borne from any scorn or anger, but out of necessity," Lexa said as she reduced the space between her and Clarke to a mere foot. Her next words were a whisper only audible to Clarke.

"I know you will understand."

Clarke tensed as Lexa lifted the dagger and was ready to lash out until, to her surprise, Lexa swiped the dagger across her own hand. Rivulets of blood flooded out the woman's hand staining the dagger a deep black.

Lexa held the bloodied dagger towards Clarke, "Today, I wish to join our people and Skaikru together. The greatest way to do is by joining the two leaders together in one."

"There is no fucking way."

Octavia's words were a part of many as realisation slowly dawned on everyone. Even Titus seemed taken aback as she took a few steps back in shock. Lexa raised her bloody hand to silence the crowd and it worked as they were hushed into silence.

"Our people would irrevocably become a part of each other," Lexa's words filled the room with shock and bewilderment, "We would irrevocably become a part of each other beyond our death. Our beings bonded beyond this plane and into the next."

Clarke's body boiled with anger and shock and indecision. She had expected Lexa to induct her to the Coalition or to betray her to appease her foes. The last thing she had expected was _this_ and which was, for all intents and purposes, a proposal.

Except this didn't seem like a marriage that Clarke could break off easily if at all. The generals all seemed to vary from shocked to angered to a despondent Luna who only nodded once before looking away from Clarke. Her face twisted into a deep frown.

Clarke took a deep breath before taking the dagger and making a deep cut into her palm. The pain did nothing to wake from what had to have been a fever dream and Clarke allowed it to clatter to the floor.

She shook hands with Lexa and she ignored the pain in her hand as their blood melded and dripped to the floor. By the time, their hands separated Clarke's wound was slowly beginning to heal itself.

"It is done."

It was as austere and brutal a wedding as Clarke would expect from the Grounders. No decorations, no fancy clothing or anything of the sort. Just words and blood.

Clarke had no idea what Lexa was playing at. All she knew was that she was going to blow up once this was all over which it appeared to be. She now understood why Lexa didn't want to face her before the meeting because now Clarke had no chance of looking for an alternative. Hence, she accepted.

The doors suddenly slammed open and in rushed Gaia looking haggled and distressed. She was so anxious she didn't even seem to notice just what she had barged in on.

"Gaia, what is the meaning of this?" Clarke said and a feeling of dread pooled in Clarke's gut as she saw tears flow freely from Gaia's eyes.

"The novitiates," Gaia said sounding disenchanted and broken, "They are all gone. None of them are left."

Gaia was carrying a sack in her hand and Clarke frowned as she saw the liquid dripping underneath it. She opened it and gingerly pulled out a decapitated head. The face was covered in a mass of wrinkles and warts, but crucially black blood leaked from below the neck.

The head seemed to have convinced Lexa despite how advanced the age was. Clarke knew the novitiate were children but at the same time, it was unlikely a nightblood could grow so old without being discovered.

Had someone used some sort of power to kill them?

"Nia," Lexa growled under her breath before turning to Ontari, "Where is your queen?"

Clarke pulled back on Lexa's arm as Ontari rose up out of her seat. Bulges began to protrude from beneath the girl's skin as she rose to her feet with an insolent smirk on her face. It looked as disgusting as Clarke knew Ontari was on the inside.

"I am right here," Nia said walking right into the room she took a few seconds to process what was in front of her before laughing deeply and cruelly.

"A bonding? With her?" Nia said her face twisted by a sneer, "You just wasted the rest of your short lives. We will not stand out simply because Wanheda has you under her thrall. It simply shows you are too weak to do what must be done."

"War is not the answer," Luna said as she rose to her feet, "Stop with this nonsense, Nia. Azgeda cannot win on their own."

"I will not stop until Ontari is the last natblida and by my count, there are four in this very room."

Four?

Madi.

*!*

Clarke raised her forearm and slapped aside a bone projectile from Ontari. By fortune, it was deflected towards Nia who simply snatched it out the air. Within a few seconds, the bone crumbled to dust in her hands as it underwent rapid decay.

Clarke felt an immeasurable and inexplicable rage just come over her body. She raised her hands up and in some vague way, she was aware that she wasn't quite in control, but as a massive fight broke out, Clarke found she didn't care.

Clarke fired a blast of fire at Nia, but it was swallowed up by a wall of shadows. Clarke traced the shadows expecting to see the man who had tried to recruit her and there he was. Atari. Her emotional state made her power fluctuate like crazy and by chance, her technopathy detected something on Atari's shirt.

It was quickly hacked and broken into and Atari's appearance melted away as he grew taller and wider. His hair grew longer and prominent scars made themselves known on his skin. Most damning of all, his right hand faded away like a mirage.

A small speck fell from Roan's shirt but he did not seem to notice until Clarke spoke.

"It was you from the beginning?"

"Clarke?"

"Who are you talking to?"

Clarke ignored the words she heard from two different voices as her wings spread out behind her. She crouched down for just a second before charging straight ahead at Nia and Roan.

Nia smirked even as Clarke swiped at her neck with sharpened claws. Her hand straight through them as if they weren't even there and as she turned back they were now standing at the window.

"Clarke!" shouted a young girl with long brown hair, "Wake up!"

Clarke ignored the girl's words as she sped towards the mother and son duo. Their arrogant smirks rubbing her the wrong way. She ignored the bloodbath around her as she zeroed in on them. She felt something brush her ankle, but she ignored that as she charged ahead.

Again, she passed through them like they weren't even there. She was now outside the tower and she scanned around for them. Clarke caught a flash of movement to her left.

She turned to see them floating in the air. They stood on the air as if it were solid ground. Roan's form morphed into that of his mother and all of a sudden Nia seemed to multiply as enough copies of her were created to blot out the sky.

The darkness enveloped Clarke like a cocoon and it was so dark she could not see even an inch beyond her face. She tried to enhance any of her senses, but they all failed her.

"How pathetic," Nia said from a thousand if a not a million position, "Your time will come, Wanheda. Livia!"

Clarke screamed and thrashed as she felt something prickly and slimy and hot and cold touch her skim before skipping away. In the darkness, Clarke could only catch a glimpse of an impossibly large and freakish abomination that chilled her to her very soul.

There was a bright light that penetrated the darkness and Clarke thought it was the sun finally breaking through the cage that Nia had made. She flew at the opening at full speed desperate to escape the horrors behind her.

She was wrong.

A yellow beam slammed into her and Clarke was sent flying across Polis at breakneck speed. She tried to slow her acceleration, but it was to no avail. Her body flew through building after building and through wall after wall until she slammed into a particularly thick and sturdy wall. Clarke fell for a few seconds before slamming into the ground.

Her neck was in excruciating pain and her teeth were all dislodged scattered across the floor. Her limbs and wings were all broken and shattered and Clarke could not move. She groaned as she tried to accelerate her healing, but it was a no-go. The sheer pain made it impossible for her to focus.

Slow and methodical footsteps drew her attention and Clarke groaned as she tried to flail and get away from whoever was near her. A foot was pressed into her back keeping her still and exacerbating the pain she felt.

"Apparently you're meant to be a badass," said a voice and Clarke felt the prick of a needle entering her, "We'll see about that."

Maine lifted her foot from Clarke's broken back and crouched down in front of her. A syringe was filled with her blood. From this angle, it was easy to see the grotesque scar on Maine's neck.

"You're still awake after that? Not bad. Not bad at all...Give them hell, then come for me," Maine said before she turned her gaze away from Clarke, "She looks mad. I'll be waiting for you, Clarke. _Vale._"

Just like that, Maine teleported away and a second later Luna landed, striking out with a spear at where Maine had just been. Luna discarded the spear as she took in Clarke's condition.

"L-Luna—"

"Do not speak, Clarke. Please." Luna said her voice frantic and urgent, "Just s-sleep. Everything will be fine when you wake up. I promise. Just...sleep."

Clarke felt something wet begin to drop onto her skin, but it faded away as Luna's hand glowed a bright white before it was gently placed on her head. Clarke heard Luna begin to hum a tune slowly and delicately even as her hold on consciousness slipped.

Clarke tried to speak, but her words failed her completely. Finally, the bright white was replaced by an inky black that Clarke fully welcomed.

She'd apologise to Luna later.

* * *

A**uthor Notes:**

**...sorry guys lol.**

**I swear I had a mental block stopping me from writing or something. It's absolutely crazy. Sorry for making y'all wait this long and to make up for it I made this one 14K words long.**

**Let's see, not too bad. Raven's suspicious, Clarke is in love and married and also a broken pile of bones. Plus, Maine is still running around. What a weirdo.**

**I just had to have a fight break out in this one. War sucks, but I low key wanted the war to happen in the show even if Lexa killing Nia was pretty fucking cool too.**

**I'd love to hear from you guys, again. Presuming you haven't passed away from old age waiting for this goof to update his story.**

**Stay safe everyone and I'll see you guys soon. Totally. Definitely. I promise.**

**P. S. There was an accidental, pseudo That's So Raven reference in this lmao.**

**As I finished typing it, I just laughed as I saw what I'd done. I kept it in because that show was the bomb.**


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